Photo courtesy of St. Barnabas Hospital
Dr. Ridwan Shabsigh, medical director of Men’s Health Center at St. Barnabas Hospital.
By Robert Wirsing, Bronx Times – A new place in the Bronx is looking to awaken men in the hopes of saving them.
On Wednesday, October 8, for the first time in our borough, a health center specializing in medical care and attention for men was officially opened.
The Men’s Health Center at SBH Health System, dedicated to treating health concerns solely affecting the male sex, is the first of its kind in the Bronx and is recognized as being the third such health center in the entire metropolitan area.
Part of St. Barnabas Hospital, the newly established Men’s Health Center provides its patients, ranging in ages 18 through well over 70, a multitude of medical services and treatment relating to sexual, reproductive, and urological health issues. Some problems specifically targeting men are also addressed here including infertility, erectile dysfunction, and testosterone deficiency that recent medical studies present individuals diagnosed with these underlying conditions run a greater risk of suffering heart attacks and other health complications like heart health problems, diabetes and obesity, and smoking cessation.
This new center provides patients with primary care needed to treat these conditions and a physician will be provided to those who do not have one. To add to this, the male-focused center provides mental health screenings, PSA scans, EKG, Low T blood tests, prostate exams, blood work, and immunizations among many others. It does not offer surgical procedures, but those who require it will be referred to the necessary physicians. Follow-up appointments are a must.
“It covers everything,” explained Renee Wilson-Bennett, FNP-BC. “It is a comprehensive, wholistic approach and our goal is for early detection. There is more chance of survival when it is caught early on and that is why there is such a big push for men. Usually men in their twenties think they’re invincible and don’t think about it too much. In their thirties, they are more focused on their careers and tend to put it off until later on. Around their mid forties to mid fifties, that is usually when they have some sort of symptom that’s bothering them and causes them to get examined. We want to capture men earlier then that so we can help them before any sort of progression occurs.”
Wilson-Bennett, an urology nurse practitioner, has been involved in men’s health services for eight years. Both she and many research studies throughout the years reveal men tend not to focus as much on their health as women do. Dr. Ridwan Shabsigh, the center’s medical director expressed the following:
“Research has shown that men are far less likely than women to seek medical help, whether it’s to schedule an annual physical or to see an expert about a specific health concern. At the Men’s Health Center at SBH Health System, men who live and work in the Bronx now have the opportunity to get specialized and primary care in a comfortable, confidential and personal environment. It’s a concept that we believe men, who have historically looked to avoid the doctor at all cost, will find very appealing.”
This new facility is located across from St. Barnabas’ main campus on 4487 Third Avenue and is on the third floor of the building.
According to Wilson-Bennett, there is currently no “specific signage” stating the health center’s name. Rather, the building’s exterior simply reads Ambulatory Care Center, but it may change soon once everything settles.
The Men’s Health Care Center is now opened from 4 to 7 p.m, offering patients the convenience of attending after-work appointments.
If you wish to schedule an appointment, or for more information on the Men’s Health Center at SBH Health System,
call (718) 960-3730. As of now, Wilson-Bennett revealed the appointment line (718) 960-6430 is used Wednesdays though this will change once the health center becomes fully operational.
