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		Points of View October 1, 2001 Guest Column © 2001 Adrienne Shipley Published with Permission

New Planned Parenthood Express health center offers needed services

HOUGHTON -- The new Planned Parenthood Express health center, which opened about a month ago in Houghton, is offering valuable services to the Copper Country community. Having served nearly 100 clients (both women and men) in this short time, the health center is receiving even more support from members of the community than anticipated.

Adrienne Shipley, right, Planned Parenthood Express community outreach coordinator, and Suzanne Miron, seated, R.N./site manager, discuss Planned Parenthood services with Martine Allard, resident of Houghton and Quebec City.

More than fifty people -- of all ages and both genders -- have come from all parts of the community to volunteer. Even more come into the health center daily to offer their support and to comment on how glad they are that there is finally a Planned Parenthood in Houghton. Many people have also contributed funds, either as general membership support or as Pledge-a-Picket contributions to our Fairness Fund, which specifically supports access to safe abortion.

Planned Parenthood Express offers a number of reproductive health services and supplies. These include:

• birth control pills, 
• Depo Provera and Lunelle injections, 
• pregnancy testing and counseling, 
• testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, 
• Emergency Contraception, 
• male and female condoms, 
• spermicides, and
• educational programs and information.

Services are available by appointment or on a walk-in basis. All services are confidential. 

"In the short time we have been open, the need for affordable reproductive health services has been borne out daily by the number of people seeking them," comments Suzanne Miron, R.N./ site manager. "I feel fortunate to be able to provide for those in need. Of course, we are here for all of the community, but the vast majority of our clientele so far have been college students."

Miron is providing services at Planned Parenthood Express through a promising new model of family planning services, called HOPE (Hormones with Optional Physical Exam). This model allows for birth control pills to be dispensed on the basis of a health screening, rather than requiring a Pap test or pelvic exam. HOPE provides convenient access to contraception for those who might not otherwise use an effective form of birth control. While an exam is not required to receive birth control pills, a yearly exam is not to be dismissed as unimportant. Referrals can be made to Planned Parenthood Northern Michigan’s full-service health center in Marquette or to other local providers.

There are also a number of educational resources available at the new health center. Among these are a variety of pamphlets on reproductive health and sexuality education topics, a lending library (including both books and videos), Fact Pacts, Parent Packs and Family Kits.

Fact Pacts are intended to help college or high school students write research papers or speeches. They include information sheets, contact numbers and brochures on five topics: Teen Pregnancy/Sexuality, Sexually Transmitted Infections, HIV/AIDS, Abortion and Birth Control/Contraception.

Parent Packs provide a variety of materials for parents to help them communicate with their teenage children. They include handouts and brochures on tips for communicating with their teens, ten things teens want parents to know, a resource guide, suggestions on how to answer questions asked by their teens and factual information on sexuality.

Family Kits have been created to help parents talk to their children about sexuality and to help assist more open family communication. There are five age-specific kits (appropriate for pre-kindergarten, kindergarten to grade three, grades four and five, middle school and high school ages) that contain books and videos for the family to read and watch together, as well as a packet of information which the family can keep. Parents can check out the Family Kits for up to two weeks and use them to discuss sexuality within the context of their own family values.

Planned Parenthood Express has several special events planned for the month of October.

On Thursday, October 11, from 7 p.m. to 8:30 p.m., a workshop for parents of nine to 14 year olds called Can We Talk? will be offered at the Portage Lake United Church. This program will include a discussion and activities that will help parents talk to their young adolescents about peer pressure, sexuality and self-esteem. Can We Talk? Is being presented as part of National Family Sexuality Education Month. The program is free, but pre-registration is required. To register call 482-0790 by October 9.

On Monday, October 22, from 7 p.m. to midnight, a group of bands will perform at the Community Arts Center in Hancock, in support of Planned Parenthood. This concert, "Choice Rocks," will offer information about Planned Parenthood Express and VOX (Young Voices for Planned Parenthood), as well as free refreshments. The concert, however, will be limited to those 17 and older, although anyone under 17 may attend with a parent or guardian. A one-dollar cover will be charged, and donations will be accepted at the event. 

The Planned Parenthood Express health center staff hopes to be able to extend Planned Parenthood services to everyone in need of them in the community, as well as to outlying communities that lack reproductive health services.

Planned Parenthood Express is located at 315 Shelden Ave. in Houghton. To obtain information, or to schedule an appointment, please stop in or call 482-0790. Also visit our website at www.plannedparenthood.org.

Learn more about the author of this guest column, Adrienne Shipley.

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Note: Views expressed by our guest columnists are not necessarily the views of Keweenaw Now.