October 16, 1998

Harvard Medical School (HMS) recently received a contract from the US Department of Health and Human Services to establish a National Center of Excellence in Women's Health in collaboration with the MGH and its health centers, BWH and Beth Israel Deaconess Medical Center.

Called the Harvard National Center of Excellence in Women's Health, the center will provide innovative, community-based health care for women – with a special emphasis on the health needs of minority women – as well as outreach, research and education programs to further improve care.

"The remarkable feature of this contract is that it will help the three hospitals and the medical school accomplish what none alone could do," says Eleanor Shore, MD, dean for faculty affairs at HMS and deputy director of the center. "The new level of collaboration will increase community outreach to all women both in clinical care and health education. At the same time, it will catalyze an expansion of the medical school curriculum in women's health and support the advancement of women to academic leadership positions."

The center will encourage more research into women's health, particularly issues related to minority women; develop educational programs and culturally sensitive materials about women's health; and strengthen the role of minority women in participating institutions.

Starting in November, women will be able to call a toll-free number to obtain information or set up appointments to receive a wide variety of clinical services at a single site. Appointment specialists will inform callers of participating institutions and ask where they prefer to receive care. For those who do not have a preference, referrals will alternate between Beth Israel Deaconess and Partners facilities.

Additional goals of the center include supporting the development of best-practice models for health care for all women; broadening the use of outcome measures and patient surveys to evaluate clinical services and patient satisfaction; expanding the use of community-based primary care and preventive health care services; developing mechanisms to ensure the career advancement of women in participating institutions; and developing better curricula in women's health.