Planned parenthood and BC

[asheneyed.livejournal.com]

hello! i am posting for a friend who is having BC woes.

she just moved from holland, MI (ottawa county, where she was attending school) to berrien county, MI for the summer. she us on the planfirst! program w/ planned parenthood and got her nuvaring free from the pp in ottawa county.

the problem is, now that she's moved back home...it is impossible for her to get into pp to get her bc. for some reason they won't accept the ottawa county records, and they want to make her come in for another exam, etc....but they can't fit her in..for a long time. also she tried the next nearest PP, and she can't get in there for a while too, and she needs to refill her BC. what should she do? i didn't really have any sage advice for her...because i haven't dealt with the situation before. she's really stressed out and could use some advice...the PP is not being very helpful to her. what are her options and what should she do?

thanks VPers!

Comments

[torn-kite.livejournal.com]

i live in MI, too, and am also on the planfirst program. it is run through the state so it's accepted more places that just PP! have her call the county health department and see if they can help her (i get BC through my county health dept's family planning clinic). if they can't give her the BC, maybe they can at least point her in the direction of someone who can help her.

[airkitten.livejournal.com]

I don't know how many PP's are in Michigan, and I'm not completely familiar with Planfirst!, but have you tried calling PP in Livingston county? I know it's probably a 2 hour or so trek from Berrien county but they don't seem as busy as maybe Ingham county or Grand Rapids area's might. Good luck!

[jennifer0246.livejournal.com]

They likely won't accept simply records because not every exam is created equal. Most places (private practices or clinics like PP) typically have a wait time between calling and getting in for a new pt appt. It's not fun, it's not easy, but the bottom line is really that a patient's lack of planning ahead does not constitute an emergency for the health care provider.

My recommendation is that your friend should call her former provider (PP in Ottawa Co), explain the situation, and either go there to pick up her ring(s) or have them call them into a pharmacy near her (though she will pay full retail price there).

[poppleshatesyou.livejournal.com]

I no longer live in MI, but when i did i lived in Washtenaw County (ann arbor/ypsi area) and there was only 1 PPH and it was not impossible to get an appointment...but now i believe there are at least 2 in A2, so maybe there is a chance? it's like a 3 hour drive i believe from berrien county(?)...but maybe a possibility? Make a road trip out of it? go visit out of city friends maybe? I dont know how fessible that is though. She could definitely try calling the Health Department and seeing what they could do for her. Does she know of any other family planning clinics in the area?

[in-a-safety-net.livejournal.com]

I'm confused, why can't she just wait for the appointment and then re-start the birth control?
She can also look into other women's clinics in the area.

[frolicnaked.livejournal.com]

It's a possibility, but it may partly depend on why she's on the HBC to begin with. As an example, I'm on it for menstrual suppression so that I can manage adenomyosis symptoms. Having a break in my HBC would mean I'd likely be spending some time gushing blood and in severe pain, not to mention re-adjusting to HBC once I went back on it again.

Obviously, I don't know the OP's friend's specific circumstances, but there are multiple situations where staying on HBC would be preferable if at all possible.

[starkidqt.livejournal.com]

Your poor friend, I feel her pain. I just moved from Berrien County. Did she go to the PP in Benton Harbor? I don't know why they wouldn't accept her medical records, but if it's been over a year since she's had an exam, then that's why they're making her come in. If that's the only way to do it through that PP, then she should call back and ask to talk to a supervisor. She needs to explain her situation, and convey how important it is that she gets her bc refilled. If they don't have any other options for her through their office, they might at least be able to point her in the right direction.

Calling the county health department is a good thing to do anyway. They should be able to offer a few options, and they try to be helpful. She might want to look through her phonebook too, because there are a few other women's clinics in the area. There is a walk-in clinic in Niles, the Southwestern Michigan Medical Clinic I think, that she could call.

They might take pity on her emergency case, so here are two options if she calls her old PP, provided that she hasn't run out of refills there- 1) she can ask if they will mail a pack to her. She might have to pay the shipping, but it should be minimal. 2) She can ask if they will write her a perscription for her bc, and call it in to any drug store. She can use her Plan First card to get bc perscriptions at drug stores. I used to have to do this because PP didn't carry my type of bc. It might be worth a try.

Good luck! I hope she gets this straightened out :)

[asheneyed.livejournal.com]

yeah i am going to send her this, so she can read your suggestions. you just moved from berrien county? i live here too. where did you go to school?

she did try the benton harbor one, that's the first thing i asked her. iwill give her your suggestions- hopefully she can just get her perscription filled around here as opposed to having to drive to GR or something for her BC.

[riot-gurl-86.livejournal.com]

has she tried the PP in GR? (I know it's a ways away-I live in GR) they're generally really good about fitting you in on short notice.

The PP I go to is the downtown one, on Fulton street. if you look on the PP website, it has the phone number and all that.

hope this helps!