Welcome to Emerald Coast Obstetrics and Gynecology in Panama City, Florida

We are a dedicated medical care team specializing exclusively in women's health services. Our team of 5 physicians and 4 advanced registered nurse practitioners (2 with nurse midwife certifications) are dedicated to providing personalized, professional, and state-of-the-art medical care to our valued patients. You will also be pleased with the friendly service provided by our administrative team.

• We limit our inpatient hospital admissions to one hospital, Gulf Coast Medical Center, which means we can promptly respond to our patients needing hospital services. Our physicians are also on staff at Panama City Surgery Center and Northwest Florida Surgery Center.
• Appointments are usually available within a week for non-urgent care. Urgent care is addressed as promptly as possible.
• We accept most major insurance plans. Contact our office if you have questions about financial arrangements.
• We have 2 primary locations to serve you. Our main office is in town at 2250 Jenks Ave. (map)
  Our beach office is at 17320 Back Beach Road, Suite 105, just west of Hwy. 79. We are just west of The Museum of Man and the Sea. (map)
• Our business hours are 8:00 - 5:00 daily. We have on-call coverage 24 hours / day, 365 days / year for emergent obstetric and gynecologic problems.

*** You can now make appointment requests on our website.***

Click on the patient portal tab and log in. If you have never logged onto our site, you will need to register which should only take you about a minute. Once you log in, select Appointment Request. Fill in the easy-to-use form and one of our staff will be in contact with you by the next business day. If you experience any problems you can email us directly at info@emeraldcoastobgyn.com or simply call our office main line (850) 769-0338.

Services

• Comprehensive obstetrical care
• Obstetrical and gynecologic ultrasonography
• First trimester screening for genetic disorders (We are the only practice certified to offer this service in Panama City.)
• Annual gynecologic preventive health
• Basic infertility including diagnosis, ovulation induction, and intrauterine insemination
• Traditional and minimally invasive (laparoscopic and robotic) hysterectomy
• Treatment for menstrual disorders
• Endometrial ablation
• Management of abnormal pap smears, cervical dysplasia, and cervical cancer prevention (HPV vaccination)
• Family planning and preconceptual counseling (We do not perform pregnancy termination.)
• Pelvic floor reconstructive surgery for uterine, bladder, and vaginal prolapse
• Diagnosis and treatment of pelvic pain disorders, including endometriosis
• Management of urinary incontinence
• Hormone therapy and treatment of problems associated with menopause
• Weight management
• Sexual counseling and management of sexual dysfunction
• Management of polycystic ovary syndrome
• Cosmetic genital surgery (Labia reduction, Labiaplasty)

*****Swine Flu update *****

9/11/09: The CDC has issued treatment guidelines for the H1N1 influenza virus (formerly known as swine flu). Pregnant women are known to be at higher risk of serious complications associated with all flu viruses but particularly with the H1N1 virus. For this reason, immunization for both seasonal flu and H1N1 are recommended during pregnancy. The seasonal flu vaccines are now available. Contact our office for an order form. Testing for influenza A and B are available, however the most current guidelines by the CDC suggest that you should treat with antiviral medication (Tamiflu) as soon as symptoms start rather than waiting for the result of the test. The most common symptoms of seasonal flu are muscle and joint pain with fever greater than 101 oral. The H1N1 symptoms are similar but also are associated with moderate to severe nasal and upper respiratory congestion. Sinus and nasal congestion, sore throat, sneezing, and coughing in the absence of fever are usually not influenza but rather from the common cold.

10/1/09 Seasonal flu shots are available at Walgreen's. You do not need a prescription or an order even if you are pregnant. The H1N1 vaccine is expected to be available in mid October.

click the links below for the most current CDC info on H1N1

www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/guidance/pregnant.htm

www.cdc.gov/h1n1flu/infantfeeding.htm

10/7/09

Click below to see an interview with the nation's leading expert on influenza epicemics Dr. Anthony Fauci. This answers a lot of common questions including saftey concerns with the H1N1 vaccine.

Dr. Fauci video link

10/20/09

We have just received 100 H1N1 Pregnancy vaccines which are immediately available for our pregnant patients. Please call our office and schedule a time to come in and get vaccinated. In a recent press release, 6 pregnant women have now died in Florida with H1N1 related disease. We do not have seasonal flu vaccines. You can still receive these at Walgreen's, CVS, or the Bay County Health Dept.

Here is a link to up-to-date epidemiologic statistics regarding H1N1 morbidity and mortality in Florida: http://www.doh.state.fl.us/Disease_ctrl/epi/swineflu/Reports/reports.htm#table5

10/27/09

We have run out of vaccine. We anticipate that we will get another shipment soon so please check back frequently. The second we get it, we will post it on the site. From this point on we will receive the multi-dose vaccine, only. The multi-dose vaccine does contain a small amount of the preservative, thimerosal. This amount of thimerosal is considered safe for injection into pregnant women. Thimerosal is a commonly used preservative and is even found in contact lens solutions. We have the CDC statement on "thimerosal and pregnancy" - ask the nurses. We have this already printed out and make it available to our patients. Both seasonal and H1N1 injectable vaccines can be administered on the same day. CDC recommends each vaccine be injected into a separate arm.
Pregnant women do not have to worry that they can "catch" influenza from their children who receive the live attenuated (LAIV) seasonal or H1N1 vaccines. Many commonly administered vaccines are of the live attenuated variety. For example, MMR, Rubella, oral polio, and varicella are all live attenuated vaccines given every day in pediatric offices. Most hospital staff will be receiving the LAIV when vaccines become available. CDC recommends those receiving LAIV avoid close contact with persons who have a severely weakened immune system - ie: those requiring care in a protected environment, such as in a bone marrow transplant unit.

11/3/09

We have just received 100 more H1N1 vaccines. These will be reserved for pregnant and post partum patients only. If you would like to schedule vaccination please call our office.

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Calendar of events - Keep informed of Lamaze class dates, office closures, speaking engagements, etc.