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Planned Parenthood To Expand Health Services In Kansas City

Matt Hodapp
/
Heartland Health Monitor
Planned Parenthood's midtown Kansas City clinic, pictured here, will begin offering an expanded array of health services later this year.

Planned Parenthood of Kansas and Mid-Missouri is planning to expand into three new health service areas this year, including pre- and post-menopausal care, transgender care, and PrEp care, a preventative that lowers the chance of contracting HIV for patients who have a high risk of infection. 

Planned Parenthood President and CEO Laura McQuade says the moves are about adapting in a changing health care landscape in the wake of the Affordable Care Act. 

"There are many, many more insured patients than there were previously," McQuade says. "We need to provide an environment and an understanding that they can now use their health care insurance with Planned Parenthood."

Although many people view Planned Parenthood as a safety net provider, it actually has a roughly even split between insured and uninsured patients, according to McQuade. 

"We're not talking about cutting that out," she says. "We really want to make it a both/and story so we can provide care to a full spectrum of patients."

Pre- and post-menopausal care and PrEp will be available at Planned Parenthood's Patty Brous Center in midtown Kansas City sometime before the middle of the year. Transgender care will only be available at Planned Parenthood's Northland Health Center in Gladstone, MO.

Correction: The location for the new services was clarified.

Matt Hodapp produces Statehouse Blend for KCUR. 

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