Personal care, proven treatments lead to Center of Excellence designation

Melbourne – Having urinary incontinence is something that can feel embarrassing, but it need not be – especially with personalized care provided by providers who specialize in such a sensitive issue. Just ask Liz Unger, who feels lucky to have found Dr. Aimee Tieu with the Health First Urogynecology Department. She is one of the 25 million adult Americans (of whom 75-80% are women) who suffer from some form of urinary incontinence.

Things most people wouldn’t even think of come to light with treatment. For example, Dr. Tieu advised Liz how to deal with the “Lock and Key” effect she sometimes experienced – once Liz pulled her car in the driveway and got out, her incontinence would strike.

“I was taught that when your brain sees the front door of your house, the ‘key’ does whatever it wants to do,” Liz said. “This is nothing to be ashamed of, and I learned from Dr. Tieu that as you get older, these problems are more common.”

Dr. Tieu and her team helped put Liz on the path to being worry free and unashamed when it comes to her bladder woes. Helping Liz and countless others with their incontinence issues is one of the many reasons Health First’s Viera Hospital is the first team in Florida to ever be designated a Center of Excellence in Continence Care for Women by the Surgical Review Corporation, a nonprofit safety organization recognizing best-in-class safety and quality of patient care. The accreditation program leads to top-class safety measures, and the excellence award shows a commitment to lower costs associated with proven treatments.

Dr. Tieu is joined by Dr. Carey Andreoiu, Medical Director of the Pelvic Center of Excellence, and a highly skilled staff including Suzanne Schoenrock APRN who was nominated by SRC as a Continence Care Specialist. The team takes part in continuing education throughout the year to ensure they are up to date on all treatment options, both conservative and procedural. This training includes not only the office staff, but all associates who participate in the care of patients from the time they enter the office until they are discharged from the hospital if they have surgery, ensuring patients receive exceptional care every step of the way.

“Our entire team is immensely proud to be recognized for the hard work and excellent care we provide every day,” Dr. Andreoiu said. “The staff and our patients are aware of the excellent care that we give, and I am so happy to see this standard of excellence recognized and rewarded.”

Dr. Andreoiu explained how her associates take the time to sit down and understand what the patient’s goals are before deciding on a variety of treatment plans.

“The whole urogynecology department is absolutely wonderful, from the people who check you in to the people who check you out,” Liz said. “In fact, to be honest with you, I look forward to going to their appointments. I'm like, ‘I can't wait to see all my friends, including Dawn, Rosemary, Megan, Suzanne and Dr. Tieu, because we’ve really become friends after all these years.”

Take back control of your body. Start by taking the Health First incontinence assessment at https://hf.org/womenandchildren/quiz/urinary-incontinence.cfm