Planned Parenthood: an organization whose name has become synonymous with abortions and the on-going pro-life and pro-choice debate. Most people can’t seem to separate Planned Parenthood and this controversial issue. However, Planned Parenthood is an organization on a mission to provide reproductive health care to all people, no matter race, gender, sexuality, background, etc.

Specifically, I’ll be speaking about the Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, which feeds into Colorado, Southern Nevada, New Mexico, and Wyoming. They provide health care services for everything from cancer screenings to HIV testing to general examinations. They accept most forms of insurance and also provide financial assistance. They provide resources for a multitude of concerns such as resources for people dealing with abuse, people wanting to know more about sexual health, or those who are interested in their condition(s), such as wanting to know more about what it is and how they got it.
I toured the facility located in Southwest Denver, which is a smaller one of the multiple locations in throughout the state. I interviewed two people following the tour, one of which was the Vice President of Development for Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, Amanda Nelson, and the second person was the manager of this specific location, Sara Smith.
The actual facility tour started in the lobby, which featured a poster board that periodically has different information pertaining to the Planned Parenthood’s services. The one that was up as of Dec. 2019 had information about herpes, in hopes of spreading information about the disease and to break some of the stigma around it. The actual front desk provides informational pamphlets about different things that they treat, and they also provide free condoms to promote safe sexual health.
As for exam rooms, this facility has four different rooms as well as labs. Throughout the hall, there are different brochure display stands that have pamphlets about everything from STI’s to reproductive cancers. This is something that is present in basically any doctor’s office; however, Planned Parenthood has so many that it makes one feel truly educated and cared for. They also supply information about issues that they can’t provide help for and where to go for treatment.
This facility also features nurse’s offices, alongside the aforementioned rooms. This concluded the short, yet interesting tour of this facility of Planned Parenthood.
As well as the tour, I had the opportunity to interview Nelson and Smith. I asked both of them about the importance of the work that they do. Smith thinks that the importance of Planned Parenthood lies in their broad patient variety and the correlating staff. She thinks that it’s important that they are there “for people who have nowhere else to go,” and for the most “underdown patients.” As for Nelson, she agrees with the sentiment of treating patients who don’t have access to other health care providers. “Access is important no matter the circumstances,” says Nelson.
An issue that is close to my heart is human rights and, more specifically, the rights of LGBT+ people. Planned Parenthood is an organization that works to provide the human right of health care for patients. One way that they do this is through one of their clinics called The Drop, which specializes in care and testing for HIV. This clinic helps to treat patients as well as work on the continuing struggle of destigmatizing the illness.
Smith believes that it’s important that they provide this care because it offers a safe place for LGBT people to receive care. She also mentions how it’s important to do things like provide new charts for patients who are trans and to understand how sex changes alter what type of care people need. For trans patients, they also help them with issues related to gender-affirming surgery and hormone therapy, even if they are not available to actually perform these actions, including referrals for doctors that can help.
To put it simply, Planned Parenthood is an incredibly important institution for some of our most vulnerable citizens and provides care that some people can’t find elsewhere. Their healthcare is something that some people rely on and that is the best way to portray its importance. For any further questions you may have, you can visit their website at https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-rocky-mountains .