"The brand new, innovative Women's Health and Wellness Institute (WH&WI) is opening at Providence Saint John's Health Center. The soft opening of WH&WI is scheduled for May 6, 2024.  Several weeks earlier, on March 22, 2024, a group of us members of the Irene Dunne Guild, which supports Saint John's, got the opportunity to take a Pink Hard Hat tour of the Institute. The group consisted of me, Kathy Yawitz (President of the Irene Dunne Guild), Stephanie Weston (Newsletter Chair), Lorena Craven and Suzanne Caldwell (Think Pink Chairs), Janis Gallo (Liaison to WH&WI), Jill Robertson (Allocation Chair), Maria Arechaederra (Fundraising and Sponsorships Chair, along with Fran Flanagan, who coudn't join us that morning), and Susie DeWeese (Patron Drive Chair, along with Evelyn Guerboian, who also coudn't join us that morning).

We started our morning at Saint John's Health Center Foundation, where Joni Chroman, the Executive Director of WH&WI, gave us a PowerPoint presentation and answered questions. We learned that WH&WI consists of McAlister Maternal & Newborn Services and Margie Petersen Breast Center, located at Providence Saint John's Health Center, and the new Women's Health & Wellness Center, located at the 1301 20th Street building, which will start with three clinical care programs and progress from there.  
We then walked over to the 1301 20th Street building, put on our pink hard hats and toured the new Women's Health & Wellness Center, which has a beautiful lobby with views, a boutique area, and various rooms for services that will be provided by the many medical doctors and healthcare professionals that will work at WH&WI."
Kathy Yawitz
Irene Dunne Guild, President

On March 21st, at the IDG general meeting, our guest speaker, Dr. Jason Tarpley, M.D., Ph.D. spoke to the IDG members on the topic “Women and Stroke Risks”. Dr. Tarpley is the Director of the Stroke and Neurovascular Center at the Pacific Neuroscience Institute (PNI). He gave a very engaging and informative presentation filled with useful facts and tips. Our members really enjoyed this talk and had lots of questions for him.

He taught us to BE FAST when we suspect someone is having a stroke.
Balance: is the person showing loss of balance?
Eyes: is the person experiencing loss of vision in one or both eyes?
Face: is the person's face drooping?
Arm: is one arm weaker than the other?
Speech: Difficulty with speech?
​Time: Call 911 immediately