Women find community, wellness with Olympia cohort
Itâs Monday morning at MultiCare Capital Womenâs Integrated Primary Care, and a small group of women arrive in the donor-dedicated Marcus Family Health Education Room.
They reconnect while grabbing a nutritious snack, then find a seat in the circle. Local artwork adorns the walls, adding to the warm, upbeat atmosphere.
Each woman is here because sheâs made a commitment to her health.
Allison Imel, PA-C, FNTP, a physician assistant specializing in urogynecology and lifestyle medicine, speaks up, and another womenâs metabolic wellness cohort begins.
A vision for womenâs health
When the clinic opened in July 2023 â made possible in part by generous community support â Imel was captivated by the commitment to Angela J. Bowenâs vision, the pioneering doctor and womenâs rights advocate who helped establish Capital Medical Center in 1985.
Five months later, Imel joined the urogynecology team with the goal of creating an intentional space where community, education and health could intertwine.
Shortly after, she launched the clinicâs first womenâs metabolic wellness program â focused on reaching healthy levels of blood sugar, blood pressure, cholesterol and body composition.
âThe intention is to educate and empower women,â she explains. âWe’re trying to decrease cardiovascular risk by addressing the foundations of optimal wellness.â
Patients join the program through a primary care referral. Over 12 weeks, eight to 10 women meet for six group sessions with personal health check-ins and a topical lecture to generate discussion. Nutrition and movement are regular themes.
On off weeks, Imel meets one-on-one with members â like Joan Francis â to discuss their goals and barriers to reaching them.
Health care in a new home
Born in Jamaica, Francis moved to New Jersey in 1986 and spent decades as a family nurse practitioner. In 2017, she retired early due to her declining health.
When Francis later arrived in Washington state to live with her daughterâs family, she had difficulty finding a primary care provider â particularly in the wake of the COVID-19 pandemic.
After waiting months to see family medicine physician L. Abigail Tan, MD, her routine lab work showed several potential health risks.
Francis was intrigued when Dr. Tan recommended she attend a wellness class at the clinic.
âThe idea that someone would be talking to me directly about my problems and in a group setting ⌠I was very excited,â she shares.
Lighting a fire
Francis joined the clinicâs first cohort and immediately connected with Imelâs passion and expertise.
âSheâs so gung-ho,â Francis says. âYou ask her about anything, and she can tell you the big picture down to the small cellular level. She gave me good advice, like âDon’t focus on the diagnosisâ and âFocus on what you can do to get better.ââ
Bonding with other health-conscious women also filled a void in Francisâ life.
âAs I was moving a lot, I didn’t make many new friends,â she shares. âSo, to sit in a classroom with other women my age was very appealing. They can give you their perspective on something that you may not have gone through yet but will experience.â
Imel specifically prioritizes connection and openness, recognizing social isolationâs negative influence on health. Patients often bond quickly, stay late after class and remain in touch once sessions end (Francisâ cohort gathered for the first-ever reunion last month).
âThereâs so much value and richness in not going at it alone, and having your experience validated through anotherâs and hearing someone be like, âYeah, me too,ââ Imel says.
As Francis incorporated Imelâs teachings throughout her cohort journey, her health kept improving. Today, she remains committed to continuing that trajectory.
âIt has changed me,â Francis reflects. âItâs made me more determined to do what I need to do and given me steps to do it.â
Sustaining successÂ
Now hosting its third cohort, the program has already had a significant impact on participantsâ lives. As indicated by routine lab work at the start and end of the 12 weeks, nearly all see immediate improvements to biomarkers like inflammation, insulin, fat and lean body mass.
âI celebrate with them, and I get excited, but I’m never surprised,â Imel explains. âYou regulate your nervous system, heal your gut, clean up your diet, move your body, and youâll reverse disease.â
The ultimate goal, she stresses, is to empower women to sustain what they learn beyond the cohortâs final week.
âThis is not a weight-loss program,â Imel says. âThis is an education program; this is a community-building program. What our success really depends on is opening peopleâs hearts ⌠so they feel safe and can get to the core of why theyâre not doing the things they know promote health.
âYou can live well,â she continues. âYou can go and hike and be with your grandchildren and you can feel joy. That’s really what it’s about.â
A communityâs impactÂ
Community generosity has already played a large role in the Olympia clinicâs young history. Donors helped open its doors and deliver on the vision of becoming âa medical homeâ for local women. Philanthropy continues to power new initiatives and ensure staff can keep up with enthusiastic demand for services.
âThe only reason we even have a place to gather is because of MultiCare Capital Foundation,â Imel says.
Clinic staff, leadership and patients are excited about what the future could hold for their Thurston County region with additional donor support.
âWe want MultiCare to continue to be known as the hospital system that cares about people and reaches the community,â Francis shares. âSo, we need donors to continue giving to this worthy cause.â
To those who already support the foundation, Imel has this message of gratitude:
âTo everyone who gives â then, now and in the future â thank you,â she says. âYour support is invaluable to continue expanding health care options for women.â