California is among 27 states and the District of Columbia that now have access to Planned Parenthood Direct, an app that offers birth control and UTI treatment.

Planned Parenthood Direct will be live in all 50 states by the end of 2020.

The app is a convenient way for people to access high-quality sexual and reproductive health care from Planned Parenthood’s expert providers through a smartphone — no matter where they are.

With the Planned Parenthood Direct app, users can request birth control pills be delivered to their door, get a prescription for UTI treatment sent to a nearby pharmacy, learn about different methods of birth control, or make an appointment at a Planned Parenthood health center.

“Planned Parenthood is continually looking for new ways to reach people with the care they need, and we’re proud to be a leader in using technology and innovation to expand people’s access to health care and information,” Alexis McGill Johnson, acting president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said in a prepared statement. “As politicians across the country try to restrict or block access to critical reproductive and sexual health care, the Planned Parenthood Direct app is just one part of the work we do to ensure that more people can get the care they need, no matter where they are.”

There’s currently a vast unmet need for sexual and reproductive health care in the United States. Recently, the Trump administration forced Planned Parenthood out of Title X, the nation’s only dedicated program for affordable birth control and reproductive health care. The administration’s move will greatly impact access to birth control, STI testing, cancer screenings, and other critical health services, particularly for people of color, people with low-incomes, and people in rural and remote communities. In the wake of increasing restrictions on sexual and reproductive health care, the Planned Parenthood Direct app is helping to break down barriers and get people the timely care and information they need.

“Planned Parenthood health centers see patients who struggle to overcome barriers to get health care, whether that’s lack of time, the distance they have to travel, difficulty finding child care, or trouble getting an appointment with a provider. Through the Planned Parenthood Direct app, we can often bypass those barriers and provide the same high-quality care that they would receive at a health center visit,” said Kelly Gordon, advanced practice clinician, Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and Hawaiian Islands. “We want every patient — no matter where they are — to be able to stay healthy and reach their life goals.”

The Planned Parenthood Direct app is free and available for download in the App Store or on Google Play. Quick and convenient to use — on your lunch break or after hours — it’s currently available in Alaska, Arizona, California, Colorado, Connecticut, the District of Columbia, Florida, Georgia, Hawaii, Idaho, Illinois, Iowa, Maryland, Minnesota, Montana, Nebraska, New Jersey, New York, North Dakota, Ohio, Pennsylvania, Rhode Island, South Dakota, Texas, Utah, Vermont, Virginia, and Washington.

 

Image Sources

  • Direct App Graphic: Planned Parenthood