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Published on 08/10/1998 All articles from this issue

Planned Parenthood offers variety of services at Foothill College site

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By Linda Taaffe / Town Crier Staff Writer

Long associated with providing reproductive services, Planned Parenthood has taken a new direction at Foothill College in Los Altos Hills.

The sometimes-controversial health organization has operated a site at Foothill's Campus Center on and off for the past four years, providing a wide range of health-care services for students.

The Foothill site is "totally different from all other Planned Parenthoods. Here, we're geared toward students," said Dona Berney, physician assistant at the center.

The center provides free and minimal-cost primary care as well as reproductive services for students, who are required to pay an $8 health service fee at registration.

Berney said she treats students for everything from coughs, colds and rashes to bladder infections and tuberculosis.

The center's services include immunizations, physical exams, HIV testing and emergency birth control, she said.

Berney said students often line up outside the door waiting for immunizations and other services. Berney said she sees between 1,000 to 1,500 students at the clinic each month through appointments and drop-ins.

"A lot of students benefit from having us here," said a staff member.

She said because the center offers a combination of services, students seem less apprehensive to stop in for birth control and screenings for sexually transmitted diseases.

The staff member said these services were not previously included in the college's health fees.

"I see more and more couples coming for AIDS screenings" - and other services that help promote safe-sex - she said.

Berney said the center draws a large number of international students in addition to regular Planned Parenthood clients.

Berney said some people still have negative connotations about the center. "They think we do abortions here. We don't."

Berney said the Planned Parenthood site at Foothill is a huge improvement from when she was a student there. The health center used to be behind a screen in a bathroom at the campus center.

Berney said Planned Parenthood may expand to other colleges.

For more information about the Planned Parenthood located at Foothill's Campus Center, call 949-7243.