If I had a nickel for every time I .... didn't feel like going to my nearest sexual health clinic, then, I'd have a few nickels, I guess. Fortunately for myself and the other gals out there, we may not need to make the journey in the future. Because it will come to us.
Planned Parenthood recently launched a new program in Minnesota and Washington State that allows women to consult with a care provider and receive prescriptions without ever having to make the trek to one of its offices.
The service is called Planned Parenthood Care, and works by allowing clients to log into a service online or via Planned Parenthood's new Android or iOS app. There, they can consult with a clinician via video chat about what kind of birth control, whether it be the pill, patch or the ring, is best for them. The chosen birth control will then be delivered to the client's door by mail.
The organization says the online chat takes about 5 minutes. But the service doesn't come cheap- one consultation comes with a $45 service fee attached.
In Minnesota, the service is available daily from 9 a.m. to 9 p.m. In Washington State, clients are offered the same hours, Monday through Friday.
A spokeswoman for Planned Parenthood said the new service was designed to better connect with a younger, more tech-dependent demographic.
Sarah Stoesz, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, and South Dakota told the Huffington Post, "Every generation of women is different from their mothers, and what's different about the current generation of young women is that they live a whole lot of their lives online. We don't want to be our mother's Planned Parenthood, we want to be our daughter's Planned Parenthood. This is one of the many ways we're doing just that."
Stoesz asserted that the organization is trying to extend its services to other states and to add STI consultations.
She said, "The sky's the limit in terms of what's coming next. Everywhere young women live they want access to Planned Parenthood, and we're going to make sure we're everywhere they are."
