Our Story: Women's Healthcare Associates

Women’s Healthcare Associates was formed in 1999 when several westside Portland women’s health practices came together to create an independent, clinician-owned organization. Their goal was to build a practice where physicians, midwives and other clinicians could guide care decisions and focus on long-term relationships with patients and families.

Today, WHA remains independent and clinician-owned. That independence allows the people providing care to help shape the future of the practice—ensuring decisions remain focused on patients, clinical excellence and the communities we serve.

Deep roots in Portland

Our story reaches back generations.

On Portland’s eastside, our history traces to the 1940s and the Lloyd Center Women’s Clinic. Over time, that practice became part of Portland Women’s Clinic and later Women’s Clinic, PC. The clinicians who built this practice were pioneers in women’s healthcare in the region. They were among the first in Portland to use routine Pap smears to screen for cervical cancer, among the first to perform extensive surgeries for gynecologic cancers and the first practice on Portland’s eastside to include a female OB/GYN.

Further south, Women’s Health Center of Oregon—now represented by our Oregon City office—began serving people in Clackamas County in 1987. It was the first practice in the area to include midwives and became home to one of Oregon’s largest midwifery groups for many years.

On Portland’s westside, another thread of our story began in the 1960s with the founding of West Hills Women’s Clinic near Providence St. Vincent Medical Center. Over the following decades, several respected practices—including Lake Grove Women’s Clinic, Westside Women’s Clinic and Zuelke Women’s Clinic—joined together under the name Women’s Healthcare Associates.

Becoming a regional practice

In 2011, Women’s Healthcare Associates joined with Women’s Clinic, PC and Women’s Health Center of Oregon, PC. This merger brought together clinicians and care teams with deep roots across the Portland metropolitan area and transformed WHA from a westside practice into a regional organization.

Together, these practices shared a commitment to independent, clinician-led care and a belief that strong relationships between patients and care teams are at the heart of great healthcare.

Evolving to meet the needs of our communities

As the Portland metropolitan area has grown, WHA has continued to evolve to meet the needs of patients and communities.

Our Hillsboro office opened in 2016 to serve the rapidly growing communities in Washington County. Our Newberg office extends care into Yamhill County, while clinics across Portland’s eastside and westside continue to provide care close to home for thousands of patients each year.

Over time, we have also welcomed clinicians and care teams from other respected women’s health practices in the region. In northwest Portland, the clinicians and staff of Bridgeview Women’s Health joined WHA to continue caring for their patients as part of our practice. In 2021, Brandi Spence, MD, Greg Eppard, MD and Erica Koltenuk, CNM joined our Newberg office after many years serving families as part of Valley Women’s Health in McMinnville.

Like many healthcare organizations, WHA has also adapted to changing conditions in healthcare—responding to shifts in patient needs, workforce dynamics and the broader healthcare environment. These transitions have allowed us to focus resources where they can best support patients and ensure the long-term sustainability of our practice.

Investing in patient-centered care

Today, WHA continues to grow and adapt in ways that strengthen access to care.

Our Tabor clinic on the campus of Providence Portland Medical Center brings together obstetrics, gynecology, maternal-fetal medicine and midwifery care in one location. Recent expansion of the clinic has created additional space for patients and expanded access to relationship-based midwifery care for communities throughout northeast Portland.

Continuing the story

While much has changed over the decades, one thing has remained constant: our commitment to independent, clinician-led care.

At Women’s Healthcare Associates, the people providing care are deeply involved in guiding the future of the practice. That connection helps ensure decisions remain focused on patients, relationships and the long-term health of the communities we serve.

WHA continues to care for thousands of people across the Portland metropolitan region each year—supporting health through every stage of life and continuing a legacy of women’s healthcare that spans generations.