3 minute read
A PLACE FOR FAMILY
A PLACE FOR FAMILY PLANNING
EXPANDED SERVICES PROVIDE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO EXPERT REPRODUCTIVE CARE.
Family planning is a pillar of healthcare, says Glenmarie Matthews, MD, MS, MBA, Medical Director of the Family Planning Clinic at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital (RWJUH) and Assistant Professor and Family Planning Specialist at Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School. In fact, the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) identified family planning as one of the 10 great public health achievements of the last century.
“No matter what kind of family you’ve decided to develop for yourself, family planning plays a vital role and provides a solid foundation,” Dr. Matthews says. Family planning services at RWJUH now have been expanded through the hospital’s Family Planning Clinic thanks to funding through GLENMARIE MATTHEWS, Title X, a federal MD, MS, MBA program that was recently amended to further ensure Americans have access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning services.
“It is important to bring focus to family planning,” says Leticia Vizcaino-Blanco, Community Outreach Coordinator, Family Planning at RWJUH. “In many ethnic and racially diverse communities, the perception of contraception is rooted in cultural and religious beliefs. Providing education, resources and services can help bridge the gap when it comes to access to family planning. Additionally, empowering young people to take charge of their reproductive health and helping them develop a reproductive plan can have a significant impact on their future.”
DIVERSE SERVICES
The Family Planning Clinic at RWJUH offers comprehensive services including:
• A wide variety of birth control
methods for preventing pregnancy. Contraception is provided by highly trained doctors, nurses and counselors who can help you decide which method is best for you. “We offer same-day services for all services,” Dr. Matthews says.
• Sexually transmitted infection
(STI) testing to identify infections spread person-to-person through sexual or intimate contact. If simple tests provided by Family Planning Clinic staff discover an STI, you’ll also receive the treatment you need.
• Reproductive health services
such as annual exams, pregnancy testing, pelvic and breast exams, Pap smears, counseling, infertility screening and referrals.
“We offer care to both cisgender women and transgender males,” Dr. Matthews says. Services are confidential and available to anyone old enough to get pregnant or be interested in birth control methods. Teens do not need permission from anyone to receive services.
“We also provide services for women who don’t have health insurance,” Dr. Matthews says. A sliding fee scale will be applied for patients without insurance. “If you don’t have money, you can still get the care you need,” Dr. Matthews says.
Family Planning Clinic providers include two obstetrician/gynecologists, an advanced nurse practitioner and a nurse. “We also have a community outreach liaison who goes into the community to talk with women and provide resources and information,” Dr. Matthews says. Services are available Mondays 8:30 a.m. to noon, Wednesdays 4 to 8 p.m. and Fridays 12:30 to 5 p.m.
“Our clinic is friendly and multilingual,” Dr. Matthews says. “We welcome all forms of diversity and will answer any question.”
To learn more about family planning at Robert Wood Johnson University Hospital, call 732.253.3949.
1 Robert Wood Johnson Pl., New Brunswick, NJ 08901
For us, two decades is a major milestone. For Emanta, it’s surviving a collapsed lung at only 18 months.
After 20 years of caring for children, we’ve got a lot of causes to celebrate.
Emanta arrived at The Bristol-Myers Squibb Children’s Hospital with a severe case of the flu. When our team saw she had a collapsed lung, she became our first pediatric patient to receive extracorporeal membrane oxygenation (ECMO). This life-saving treatment allowed her lung to rest and heal, and today she’s living the active toddler life she deserves. We opened our doors 20 years ago to improve the lives of kids like Emanta, and today we are a nationally recognized pediatric specialty center with a state-designated Pediatric Trauma Center. Together with Rutgers Robert Wood Johnson Medical School, we’re training tomorrow’s pediatricians and developing tomorrow’s treatments. Learn more at rwjbh.org/BMSCH
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