UTMB’s Regional Women’s Services and Pediatrics (RWSP) Program was brought to life more than 30 years ago with the goal of providing women’s health and pediatric care to vulnerable populations across southeast Texas and McAllen.
Previously known as the Regional Maternal Child Health Program, RSWP now operates 12 outpatient clinics that are anticipated to see more than 200,000 visits this year. A part of UTMB’s Ambulatory Services Division, they also operate 19 Women, Infants & Children (WIC) Program sites, providing nutrition support across multiple communities.
Uniquely, RWSP program and clinic sites have always been led by an Advanced Practice Nurse or Physician Assistant, working with the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and the Department of Pediatrics for clinical physician support.
“Our RWSP program serves many needs of our community,” says RSWP Regional Director Myra Nyvette Guerra, MPAS, PA-C. “The reward has a domino effect; all it takes is one patient to make a difference, one patient who improves with our care and assistance. The ripple effect is endless.”
Guerra began her career with UTMB 13 years ago as a Clinic Director for RMCHP McAllen Dysplasia Cancer Stop clinic. She transitioned to the RWSP Regional Director position in 2023, allowing her to serve in a leadership role within the region while maintaining her clinical skills.
The Regional Director role is multi-faceted. All are APPs with active clinical practices, but they also serve in an operational capacity, working on access to care, patient satisfaction, and clinical improvement through quality assurance audits and quality improvement initiatives. The Regional Director team also acts as a liaison between the clinics and administration on operational issues.
Guerra enjoys serving a population of women in need with compassion and with the latest evidence-based practice of medicine. Her work in dysplasia and Cancer Stop services allows her to reach women in her community that have not had basic gynecological care.
Providers and clinic teams in RSWP are part of the communities they serve, allowing greater insight into the unique challenges of their patient populations. Each year, the clinic staff participates in several outreach programs to share their services and programs with their communities.
The program has earned grants from Texas Health and Human Services Commission to provide preventative well-woman care and obstetric care to uninsured women, allowing for earlier intervention in conditions that could complicate a pregnancy and add additional risk to the mother or fetus. RSWP clinics have also worked closely with the MFM Research Division in the Department of Ob-Gyn to identify patients that may be interested in and benefit from the research UTMB conducts.
Labor and delivery was where Elana Lloyd, MSN, FNP-BC, started her nursing career, and she says it will always be her love. She began working within RWSP five years ago as the clinic director in Galveston and became a Regional Director this year. She continues to work on maximizing both her clinical and leadership skills and says her job offers “the best of both worlds.”
“RWSP serves a large community that continues to grow and need resources, which translates into our program needing knowledgeable and quality leadership to help sustain the success of this program,” Lloyd says.
Dawn Short, DNP, MBA, APRN, NE-B, has spent over half of her career with this program at UTMB – first as a staff Certified Nurse Midwife, then Clinic Director, and now Regional Director. She joined the program over 19 years ago – and even with a couple of breaks in service, she has found herself drawn back to the mission and history of this program.
“Our RWSP program has changed with the times to become clinically and financially stronger than ever before – but at its core has maintained the same mission and drive I’ve experienced over the last two decades,” Short says.
She gets a front-seat view and almost instant feedback of how her operational decisions impact how she cares for patients. Short says this is a unique opportunity that most leaders in healthcare never experience—although she is seeing a growing trend in clinicians having a stronger presence in leadership, which she believes bodes well for improved clinical care.
“I believe the future is bright for RWSP because of its unwavering commitment to quality clinical care and because we have strong support from our Ambulatory, OB/GYN, and Pediatric department teams,” Short says.
Thanks to Myra Guerra, Elana Lloyd and Dr. Dawn Short, for providing valuable insights into the programs and demonstrating passion and dedication to their work. Thanks for all you do!
APP Corner is a monthly feature showcasing UTMB's Advanced Practice Providers.