Carson City's Planned Parenthood serves the community, helps the impoverished

Planned Parenthood evokes strong reactions in most people. The name has been in the media a lot lately; from the many attempts to rescind their funding at a federal level to the recent fiasco with the Susan G. Komen Foundation, nearly everyone has the name at the tip of their tongue these days. With that in mind, it's not too surprising that 100 to 150 people crowded into the new Carson City Planned Parenthood clinic to check out the new digs at their open house Monday night.

There was a wide variety of people there - men and women, the youth and the elderly, conservative and liberal, and everything in between. It was a little bit overwhelming, to be honest.

I had a long discussion with a woman named Alison Gaulden about what the clinic offers and why they opened. What interested me the most is that they have Title X federal funding, which means this: if someone comes in needing medical treatment and they cannot pay, they may qualify to be treated anyway.

As someone who has spent the majority of my life in the lower class, this was something of a revelation. Those in the upper and middle class may not quite be able to understand what it means to hold healthcare up as a luxury too expensive to afford even the basics of. In poverty, there is no safety net, no emergency fund. If you get sick, you hope that generic DayQuil will get you through work that day. The idea of a yearly women's checkup is laughable to the impoverished: even on a sliding scale, that's $25 you could use to pad your food budget, to pay your kid's lab fees at the high school, or buy new shoes when your only pair finally wears out.

About halfway through the open house, Sarah Galetti, director of development for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, stood up to tell those assembled something about the facility and PP as a whole. I tried to jot down as much of it as I could, but one thing she said stood out to me: "We are working toward our goal, which is a healthy community."

That's the thing. Planned Parenthood exists to serve the community. Yes, they have an agenda, and that agenda is affordable healthcare to those who need it most. They strive for an educated community, a healthy community, and a community whose reproductive rights are protected by law. Throughout Nevada, there are 150,000 or more low-income women who need access to birth control and women's healthcare. 10,000 of those women are estimated to live in Carson City. In short, Carson City needs Planned Parenthood.

Sarah later introduced Patty Elzy, director of public affairs for PP Mar Monte. When she addressed the group, what came through was her passion: the same passion that I found I share. It's the passion that forced me to write an opinion piece rather than a feature story, which was my original intent.

"Birth control is basic healthcare for women," she said. She's right. A woman can choose to never employ the methods of birth control or abortion available to her. That's her right as a human being. The fact remains that she has a choice. Birth control is something all women should be allowed to decide for themselves: It's their body.

When talking to Alison I asked her some general questions about the community. What I found out surprised me: The majority of Nevadans are pro-choice, not because they agree with abortion, but because they believe in individual rights. Even Republicans in Nevada, according to polls, are in favor of allowing a woman the right to choose, even if they don't support abortion in it's own right. It is because of this fact that most of the community has welcomed PP with open arms: a local donor offered a $5,000 match grant, which Sarah announced at the beginning of the open house. Those assembled immediately opened their wallets and checkbooks to help raise the needed money.

This is why I love Carson City. On the whole, we love our individual rights. We're the last vestiges of cowboy country here in Nevada. We're a resilient, independent people and we understand that our neighbors may do something we don't agree with, but it's their right as human beings (just like we have the right to annoy them, too).

I have seen a good portion of the country, from New England to Texas to California and back. There's nowhere else I'd rather live than Carson City. Our dedication to that ideal of individual liberties renewed my faith in humanity last night, and I thank you all for the opportunity to see it in action.

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PLANNED PARENTHOOD MAR MONTE
Carson City Health Center
1201 N. Stewart St. suite 120
(775) 461-7260
Facts of Life Line: 1 (800) 711-9848

HOURS OF OPERATION
Monday: 9 a.m. - 5 p.m.
Wednesday: 11 a.m. - 7 p.m.
Saturday: 9 a.m. - 1 p.m.

FACILITIES
2 exam rooms
1 counseling room
1 on-site laboratory for rapid testing
1 on-site pharmacy for certain kinds of medication

Opened Nov. 2, 2011.
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SERVICES OFFERED

• Breast and cervical cancer screenings
• Annual woman wellness checkups
• Pregnancy testing and counseling
• Education information for teens, parents, and community members
• STD testing and treatment
• Rapid HIV testing and counseling
• Contraception services, including non-invasive exams for nuva ring, pill, depo
  *A regular exam is required for all IUDs*
• Coordination with Reno facility for colposcopy
  *Needed after irregular pap results*
• Emergency contraception
  *Emergency contraception is NOT the abortion pill*
• Referrals for mammograms and abortions
  *The Carson City Planned Parenthood clinic does not perform abortions*

***Parental permission is not required by Nevada law for minors to obtain birth control services. It is required for abortion services. Planned Parenthood will report all abusive and statutory situations against minors to the proper authorities.****
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VOLUNTEER
To volunteer, visit ppmarmonte.org and fill out an application. Especially needed in Carson City are activists and outreach volunteers.

DONATE
To donate, Visit PPmarmonte.org, or visit the Carson City location personally.
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