Men’s health clinic offers range of services
PLEASANT PRAIRIE — “If it ain’t broke, don’t fix it.”
This quote — attributed to Bert Lance, a financial advisor to President Jimmy Carter — typifies the attitude many men hold regarding their health.
It is a perspective that physicians at the Men’s Health and Wellness Clinic are trying to change before it’s too late.
“Women go to the doctor every year during their reproductive years, but men, once they leave their pediatrician, don’t go back until they have something like erectile dysfunction,” notes Men’s Health Clinic physician Dr. H. Merrill Matschke, a urologist whose subspecialty is andrology — male reproductive health and surgery.
Helping men find their way to preventative health is a passion for Matschke. “We need to try to connect better with men than we have.”
When it comes to preventative health care, there is a gender gap between men and women, Matschke said.
According to a 2016 Harris Poll and survey by the American Academy of Family Physicians, men make only half as many preventative physician visits as women and men have a higher death rate for most of the leading causes of death, including cancer, heart disease, diabetes and suicide.
To help close that gap for men, a couple years ago Matschke came to Wisconsin from a urology practice in Illinois with the mission of offering men proactive, preventative health options.
“I was actively looking for like minds who think like me. I wanted them to speak the same language of modern medicine. A fresh modern look.”
Among his initiatives was the acquisition of Low Intensity Shock Wave Therapy to treat erectile dysfunction.
The Men’s Health and Wellness Center for Advocate Aurora Health opened in June of last year as part of Advocate Aurora’s new health center complex at 12500 Aurora Dr., just west of I-94 and Highway 165.
The men’s clinic offers physicians specializing in family medicine, internal medicine, cardiology and endocrinology. In addition to sexual and reproductive issues clinic services include preventative care, management of chronic diseases and sleep disorders.
“At the Men’s Health Center, we offer patients a deeper, holistic view to help them stay healthy through their lives, rather than treating isolated issues as they come up,” Matschke said.
To help men overcome obstacles to seeking out healthcare, Matschke considers questions like “What is this guy’s barrier to being healthier? His job? Life in general?”
To do this, he says he spends more time with his patients than some physicians. “I’ll look at the whole person and lifestyle choices like smoking or heavy drinking.”
“The men’s health center is really about prevention and helping men find a path,” Matschke said. “I want to fix the condition that brought them in and also educate them towards a path to prevention.”
For more information, contact the Men’s Health and Wellness Clinic, 262-857-5880.
— HEATHER LARSON POYNER, hpoyner@kenoshanews.com
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Originally Appeared Here