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You don’t often hear of a doctor’s office described as “elegant” or “green” but Board-Certified Ob-Gyn, Dr. Jennifer Ashton has managed to provide an atmosphere that is certain to make you feel good even when you don’t!
Dr. Ashton believes that VIP’s (very important patients) deserve the best treatment when they tend to their important health needs. That’s why she has opened a new office in the heart of Englewood, New Jersey’s downtown district. Located in the historic clock tower building at One Engle Street, Dr. Ashton’s Hygeia Gynecology boasts a state-of-the-art, ecologically-conscious facility that offers patients thorough, comprehensive and thoughtful medical care.
The waiting room is gone. In its place, a zen-like reception area with a soothing ambiance that is both welcoming and comforting. From the reception area, patients are taken to a well-appointed examination room, where they are enveloped in luxury. You can relax in the relative quiet of a calming space or enter the high-tech world using the digital tools that so many busy women have come to rely on.
Almost 100% of everything with which you come into contact in the office is green and non-toxic. From the paint on the walls to the carpet (100% wool) on the floor, its undeniable beauty takes a back seat to its high “green” rating. The washable flooring in exam rooms is the highly eco-friendly Marmoleum. Bathroom materials are all recycled glass tiles with cork flooring. Medical supplies are stored in recycled Formica cabinetry. Most furniture is constructed from sustainable or creatively re-constructed substances.
Even the well-known Philippe Starck Hudson chairs are made of entirely recycled brushed and polished aluminum. Window treatments and fabrics are made from organic cotton, jute and linen. And of course, office lighting consists of energy-efficient bulbs. All cleaning is performed with non-toxic and effective anti-bacterial "green" products, and the office is 99% paperless, using electronic medical records systems, e fax for sending and receiving medical reports and computer terminals for patients’ educational and leisure "reading" instead of waiting room magazines. “I believe good health starts with the way we take care of ourselves and our bodies, but it also means taking care of our communities and the environment,” said Ashton.
As many doctors are forced to see more and more patients to earn the same amount of income, some physicians are taking the other path: not accepting any insurance plans, and dealing directly with their patients for fee-for-service medical care.
While certainly not an option for everyone, this type of arrangement results in doctors who have the luxury of spending 30-60 minutes with each patient (compared to the 10-15 minutes that insurance-accepting docs have to spend), doctors who do not run late (because patients are scheduled in appropriate time intervals) and patients who tend not to feel rushed 'out the door.' For the physicians who have turned to this business model for their practices, they feel that they are able to devote more quality time to their patients. For the patients who seek out this self-pay system of non-participating or out-of-network doctors, they tend to feel more catered to.
In Englewood, NJ, OB-GYN Dr. Jennifer Ashton has been a non-par physician for the past 4 years. She finds that her patients love the time she spends with them, learning about them as people, not just as patients. They feel pampered in her spa-like, high-tech and eco-friendly office facility with their plush robes, plasma televisions and offerings of sparkling water, green tea or cafe latte.
Ashton explains, "I designed this office with the intention of truly rolling out the red-carpet for my patients because I feel they deserve it. There is no reason that women shouldn't have their annual gyn exam in a luxe and aesthetically pleasing environment."
Top Five Myths Women To Discuss With Your Gyn:
1) Birth control pill causes cancer: WRONG- extensive and accepted research has shown a profound reduction in risk of ovarian and uterine cancer amongst women who have used the pill. this is particularly important for gay women who don't usually have the risk reduction of pregnancy and breastfeeding.
2) Ovarian cysts are dangerous: they can be, when they grow large enough to rupture or twist the ovarian blood supply, but most cysts are small, normal and go away on their own. Remember- the job of the ovaries is to make cysts for a living!
3) IUD causes pelvic infections- yes and no. Any IUD can potentially increase the risk for pelvic infections if a woman engages in unprotected sex with multiple partners, she has an increased risk for STDs. However, the Mirena IUD has strings that are made of a newer filament substance that makes it harder for bacteria to 'climb up' the strings and into the uterus. women should consider the IUD as a means of contraception....
4) Organic tampons are inferior to regular tampons- I love to recommended organic tampons and pantyliners to my patients. While there is no scientific evidence to support the belief that non-organic feminine products are dangerous, it is just good common sense to use products that are not bleached, dyed or perfumed, after all, there may be 35 years of exposure to the vagina!
5) The cervical cancer vaccine is just for virgins- wrong! Ideally, the HPV vaccine is best for women who have not engaged in sexual intercourse, and is currently approved for girls from 9-26 years of age. However, by the fall, the vaccine will be approved for women into their 40's, which may be helpful for women who are divorced or widowed or simply late to the sexual scene! Even women who have had sex, and therefore likely have been exposed to strains of the HPV virus, can still see benefit from protection against the 4 most virulent and high-risk strains of the Human Papilloma Virus.
In her practice, Dr. Ashton enjoys the daily contact with women of all ages and at various critical points in their lives. “An OB-GYN can deliver a baby, treat an adolescent with painful periods, a 50-year-old with hot flashes, and diagnostic cancer all in the same day. Though seen regularly on national television as a medical contributor for Fox News Channel, and with a book on women’s health expected in 2009, Ashton devotes her time to her patients. She is also an active speaker to groups of underserved women and their daughters, and has started a non-profit organization to benefit women's causes.
At Hygeia Gynecology, Dr. Ashton is confident that she has a space that will embrace her very diverse practice in a way that is refreshingly non-traditional with a quality of care that her patients expect and deserve.
HYGEIA GYNECOLOGY
One Engle Street, Englewood, NJ
201 399 2812
About Dr. Ashton
Dr. Jennifer Ashton (drjenniferashton.com) is a graduate of Columbia College of Physicians and Surgeons, at Columbia University New York City, where she was Class President for four consecutive years. She was also the single recipient of the Bartlestone Prize in Pharmacology. Dr. Ashton practices General Obstetrics and Gynecology, specializing in Adolescent Gynecology as the founder of Hygeia Gynecology. She resides in Englewood, New Jersey with her physician husband and their two children.
Dr. Ashton can be seen regularly on the national Fox News Channel as a medical contributor. She and her husband, Robert, a renowned thoracic surgeon, make joint appearances on the network a few times each week to address timely health issues. She has been featured on TLC's A Baby Story, on PBS, quoted in many magazines and on live national radio. She has been a featured expert guest on Oprah & Friends on satellite XM radio with Dr. Mehmet Oz.
Dr. Ashton is an active member of the Englewood Community and was recently appointed to the Board of Directors on the Community Chest charitable organization.
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