Associates for Women’s Medicine opens location in Camillus

CAMILLUS — Associates for Women’s Medicine (AWM), which provides obstetrics and gynecology services, has opened a new location in Camillus, the fifth site for the practice in Central New York.

The medical practice is now serving patients in an 1,800-square-foot space at Medical Center West at 5700 W. Genesee St. in Camillus.

AWM opened its newest facility to meet the needs of its patients on the west side of Syracuse, says Dana Karanik, administrator for the practice.

“We had a lot of patients on that side of town, and we didn’t have a location out there,” says Karanik, who was speaking from her office at the location at 770 James St. in Syracuse.

Besides Camillus and Syracuse, AWM also operates offices at 792 1/2 North Main St. at Village Medical Park in Cicero, 4820 W. Taft Rd. in Clay, and 4302 Medical Center Dr. at Northeast Medical Center in Fayetteville, according to its website.

The Syracuse and Cicero offices are the largest of the five facilities and are considered the main offices, Karanik says.

AWM officials began mulling establishing a location in Camillus during the latter half of 2012.

“It actually happened pretty quickly,” Karanik says.

The practice hopes to add space at its Camillus location in the months ahead, she says.

AWM declined to disclose information about its lease terms.

Karanik also declined to disclose how much it cost the practice to open the Camillus office.

“I don’t feel comfortable divulging the exact amount, but we did set up a budget and we were happy that we were able to accomplish that goal,” Karanik says. She also declined to disclose how the practice financed the opening of the Camillus location.

AWM moved into space from Hematology/Oncology Associates of Central New York, P.C. after it scaled back operations didn’t need as much space, according to Karanik.

“We utilized mostly what was already there. We had very little build out when we assumed the space,” Karanik says.

Harmony Architectural Associates, PC of Syracuse served as the architect on the space, Karanik says. Rich & Gardner Construction Co. was the contractor on the project.

Karanik declined to disclose the cost of the site preparation.

Associates for Women’s Medicine includes board-certified obstetricians and gynecologists, along with licensed midwives and other professional staff providing care for patients.

The practice also provides some imaging services, blood testing, and office-based surgery at the Fayetteville location.

Several providers joined together in 2000 to create the present practice, Karanik says.

Eight physicians serve on the practice’s board of directors including Dr. Richard Waldman, who serves as board president; Dr. James Brown, the board vice president; Dr. Christopher LaRussa, who is the board’s treasurer and secretary, according to the practice’s website.

The practice employs a total of 90 people.

The employee count includes 10 local physicians, two from the University of Rochester Medical Center, and six clinical providers, according to the practice’s website.

The clinical providers include Therese Brown-Mahoney, a certified nurse midwife and licensed nurse practitioner, who has joined the Camillus practice.

Brown-Mahoney joins doctors James Brown, Melissa Brown and Sheena Mathew at the Camillus location.

That same office also has a secretary, a full-time medical assistant, a part-time medical assistant, and the nurses come with their respective providers, Karanik says.

The physicians in the AWM practice, on average, rotate between three of its five locations, according to Karanik.

A new physician, Dr. Michelle Auerbach, will begin in October and treat patients in the Cicero, Camillus, and Syracuse offices.

Most of its physicians are affiliated with St. Joseph’s Hospital Health Center, according to the AWM website.

 

Contact Reinhardt at ereinhardt@cnybj.com