By Bellamy Crawford
Imagine a health center where a team of medical providers work together to address every aspect of a patient’s wellbeing, and where the only dirty word in the office is “BMI.”
The Fosnight Center for Sexual Health was founded by Brevard native Aleece Fosnight in 2018 with a vision to provide an integrative approach to treating and managing sexual health. “I was at a cancer conference when I realized the collaborative care model used for a lot of cancer patients wasn’t being done in the world of sexual health,” says Fosnight. “The hospital system here in Asheville was not willing to work with this idea, so I decided I would do it myself.”
The Fosnight Center staff members, trauma-informed and LGBTQIA+–educated, pride themselves in making everyone feel welcome and safe. “Trust is vital for engaging with people on a deep level to address the root causes of their problems,” says Doug Yozwiak, the center’s integrative medicine provider. Before joining the Fosnight team, Yozwiak worked with critically ill patients at a Level 1 trauma center, which he says operated in “stark contrast to the Fosnight Center’s holistic approach.” Yozwiak believes in slowing down and spending time with people in order to understand the causes of illness.
“I couldn’t believe the way I was treated at the Fosnight Center,” says Ellie Smith, a patient seeking treatment for hormone-related migraines. “I’d never had a doctor ask permission before making physical contact with me or explain that my body weight didn’t need to be a health concern. I left feeling happier and healthier than I had in a long time because I had been empowered to love my body.”
The team at the Fosnight Center believes in being proactive with challenges and stopping them before they become long-term problems. “I adhere to the recommendations from the US Preventive Services Task Force for disease prevention and use evidence-based medicine alongside alternative and supplemental therapies,” says Yozwiak.
The center’s licensed medical providers, mental health therapists and physical therapists provide an in-depth biopsychosocial approach to treat a variety of concerns, including anxiety, depression, PTSD, pelvic pain, pelvic organ prolapse, incontinence and abdominal wall separation in their female, male and trans/non-binary patients.
The center also provides general urology, gynecology and hormone therapy for trans, nonbinary and gender non-conforming patients. “It’s difficult to find understanding care providers willing to offer hormone affirming therapy,” says Takira Rose, a Fosnight patient receiving hormone therapy under Aleece’s guidance. “Finding a provider who is experienced, knowledgeable and passionate about trans-affirming healthcare is like finding a needle in a haystack, and Aleece is all of those.”
The Fosnight Center believes that everyone has the right to restore their mind, empower their body and optimize their pleasure, and the staff are dedicated to making that happen for their patients.
The Fosnight Center for Sexual Health is located on 6 Yorkshire Street, Suite D, in South Asheville. Learn more at FosnightCenter.com, or by calling 828.724.7166.
