Editor’s note: This story originated in the Lede, a daily curated news product for local readers. For more information, visit https://www.alabamalede.com.

The UAB School of Nursing and the Cooper Green Mercy Health Services Authority recently launched a faculty run women’s health clinic that offers Pap smears, mammograms, and family planning to underserved patients across the Birmingham metro area.

“Many women in our area do not receive any gynecological or women’s health services they need due to lack of insurance, but the screenings are vital in early detection and prevention of a variety of diseases and cancers,” said Kelley Borella, DNP, assistant professor and director of the Nurse Practitioner Pathway-MSN at UAB.

Borella previously worked at Cooper Green as a women’s health nurse practitioner and said this experience drew her focus to the barriers many women face when seeking necessary healthcare.

“Working at Cooper Green taught me how to think of the patient more holistically — What is their situation? Can they afford medication? Do they have transportation for additional appointments?” said Borella.

“I also learned it often takes time and patience to build trust with patients, so they know you have their best interest at heart, and that lesson has stuck with me throughout my career.”

The new women’s health clinic is open on Thursdays at Cooper Green.

To access women’s health services, a patient must be a Cooper Green enrollee according to UAB’s press release.

The release added that enrollees are assigned a primary care provider and through this provider, patients are referred to all other needed services, including the women’s health clinic.

For anyone looking to enroll with or get more information about Cooper Green, UAB advises calling the facility at 205-930-3377.