Planned Parenthood Offering Mail-In, STI Test Kits
As of February 5, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) began offering mail-in STI testing services throughout the Rocky Mountain region.
Planned Parenthood is a well-known clinic that has spent more than 100 years providing reproductive healthcare and education. Along with many services that have shifted and changed in a multitude of industries during the pandemic, their new service is intended to extend quality healthcare accessibility even further, especially when in-person options are more limited due to COVID-19.
Already, PPRM introduced telehealth, which allows those seeking care to speak with experts through video, chat, text, or phone call. PPRM also offers eligible patients the option to have their birth control pills delivered via mail. Now, patients can also have STI-screening kits mailed to them depending on their eligibility.
Screening kits are available for same-day or next-day delivery. Screening kits come with a return label to send back the samples used for screening. Tests will screen for gonorrhea, chlamydia, and trichomoniasis. Planned Parenthood recommends that those seeking mail-in STI screening kits call 1-800-230-PLAN or visit their website, www.pprm.org.
“In these uncertain times, we are proud to use technology and innovation to reach people with the care they need, when they need it, wherever they are,” said Adrienne Mansanares, C.E.O. of PPRM, in an earlier statement. “Those who already face barriers to accessing care, like communities of color, those with low incomes, and young people are disproportionately affected by public health crises, and the pandemic has been no exception. Expanding our health care services to include mail-in STI screening is an important step to making sexual health care more accessible throughout the Rocky Mountain region, and to continuing to serve the communities who rely on us for high-quality, affordable, compassionate care. There has never been a more important time to expand access.”
Photo Courtesy of Pope Moysuh
