A local men’s clinic is expanding their services in a bid to reduce the stigma of men accessing health services and address the higher illness and mortality rates faced by men who avoid seeking medical treatment.
Verve Men’s Clinic is regional Queensland’s only dedicated men’s health clinic specialising in sexual wellness and will commence offering a wider range of GP services and sports medicine, with Dr Zach Baker joining the practice from next week.
The clinic was founded by Dr Philippe Wolanski (urologist) and Dr Jonathan Fenton (GP) in 2023 to provide comprehensive treatment options for erectile dysfunction (ED) and other men’s health concerns. After noticing a trend that many of their patients had wider health concerns, they determined a need to increase their service offering to provide multiple services under the one roof.
“Men unfortunately are not accessing health services as often as women are, and that leads to poorer outcomes and diseases progress further before diagnosis,” says Dr Jonathan.
“We identified the need to create a one-stop-shop with health services, so we are thrilled to welcome sports medic Dr Zach Baker to the team, and we also have physiotherapist Dr Alina Felipe, who is specially trained in managing men’s health needs such as pelvic floor function.”
Dr Zach says he shares the clinic’s vision for providing a holistic health service, and was excited to bring his expertise in sports medicine to the team.
“Townsville is obviously very popular with sports, so injuries are common. Often men leave it too long but the earlier they can seek treatment and we can get on top of it, it can help improve their recovery and quality of life,” he says.
Dr Jonathan says the clinic is one of its kind for the region, and they have created a welcoming space for men to access specialist health services.
“There are lots of dedicated men’s clinics in metro areas, but we are the only clinic of our kind in regional Queensland,” he says.
“We hope to reduce any shame associated with men seeking medical treatment and to encourage them to take a preventative approach to their health by providing specialist services.”
Main image: Dr Jonathan Fenton and Dr Zach Baker
Click here to read the latest BDmag articles.
