Press Play: Planned Parenthood Direct

 

Last month we joined Planned Parenthood of Greater New York to launch PPDirect at Meg in Brooklyn, where we talked with Laura McQuade, President and CEO, and Isabel Gregg, TeleHealth Advanced Practice Clinician. Watch the video and learn more!

 

 

Laura McQuade: We are here in Brooklyn celebrating our official launch of Planned Parenthood Direct (PPDirect). For those who don’t know, Brooklyn is where Planned Parenthood was founded, so it is even greater to be launching this new effort here in Brooklyn.

 

NYXT: What is Planned Parenthood Direct?

LM: It is an amazing app that you can download on your phone, it is in the app store, it is in the Google store, where you can download it and you can go online, interact with a healthcare provider, in order to get birth control and treat you if you have a urinary tract infection.

 

NYXT: Why these two options?

LM: There are two key components of healthcare that Planned Parenthood provides, and here in New York we are able to do that through an app and really help people that have trouble or barriers to getting into health centers to be able to get critical care.

 

NYXT: Does it work everywhere?

Isabel Gregg: You need to be within New York State to access the service. If you are getting a script sent to your pharmacy, your pharmacy has to be in New York State. If you are getting a medication sent to your home, your home and your shipping address has to be in New York State.

 

NYXT: Which services does the app offer?

 

LM: There is actually a skilled clinician behind the app who will provide you high quality care. And if we are able to give you the ability to get birth control, you can do it delivered to your home.  We can have it sent to your pharmacy. And if you have urinary tract infection we can get you medication immediately sent to your pharmacy.

 

NYXT: How does the communication work?

 

Isabel Gregg: We do what we call asynchronous healthcare. So while in other states you have to have that video chat with a provider,  we actually think it as an asset that we don’t have to have that. Our service is during business hours, we are there all through the weekend and we aim to get you a response within 24 hours. I am sitting in my computer all day, so if you are messaging me about a bad reaction taking an specific birth control and you want to learn about other options, we can have that conversation right there. So no, it is not 24 hours, we pride ourselves on being very quick in our responses and being able to have those conversations.

 

LM: This is a brand new offering, Planned Parenthood is really trying to meet communities where they are. And so many people want to access health care this way, it is all about meeting people where they are and knowing their needs.  

 
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