Patient Testimonials
Amy Haskins
As a nurse care coordinator who helps MercyOne patients prepare for discharge from the hospital, Amy Haskins spends her days taking care of others. But like so many of us, she needed a little reminder to take care of herself.
“I was in an elevator at work a couple of years ago and saw a poster for the MercyOne Comfort Women’s Health Center, and I was intrigued,” she says. Then in her early 50s, she’d been experiencing hot flashes, insomnia, and other physical changes related to menopause.
The center’s name pays tribute to the aptly named Frank Comfort Family Foundation, which made a major donation to make Iowa’s first dedicated women’s center a reality. With a focus on the unique health care needs of women at midlife, the center offers menopause consultations, convenient and customized women’s health screenings and assessments, and diagnosis and treatment of numerous medical problems of special concern to women.
That dedicated focus came as a welcome change to Amy, who had previously checked in with her primary care doctor regarding her midlife healthcare.
Amy’s experience at the Comfort Center began with a conversation with nurse navigator Shirley, who talked with Amy to help plan her care and match her up with Valerie Stratton, D.O., an internal medicine physician who specializes in women’s health. At Amy’s appointment, she and Dr. Stratton quickly found out they had a personal connection.
“She asked how long I’d lived in the area, and where I was from. When I said I had moved from Mason City, she said, ‘I’m from Clear Lake!’ I asked her maiden name and realized I had gone to nursing school with her sister! She’s so easy to talk to and so approachable, and such a good listener.”
“She has such a wealth of knowledge about all the symptoms and topics related to menopause, and she has many tools in her arsenal that are affordable,” Amy says. “She prescribed a hormone treatment that costs me just $50 a month, which is a whole different ballgame, plus some over-the-counter remedies. And the treatments have really helped with my symptoms.”
And while looks aren’t everything, the Comfort Center’s design is also earning rave reviews.
“It’s just a gorgeous facility—absolutely beautiful,” Amy says. “It’s so cool that something like this exists for women. I’ve already recommended Dr. Stratton and the Comfort Center to several of my girlfriends. It was just a great experience, and I’m so glad I went.”
