When patients call in to schedule an abortion at the PPMM health center where Health Services Specialist Kim M. works, she knows it’s likely she’ll need to do more than simply set up the appointment. Those who need to end a pregnancy, especially during this pandemic, are often facing other difficulties at home. And helping to navigate some of those is part of Kim’s job.
Recently, Kim spoke to one patient on the phone who said she needed to drive for five hours in order to get to one of our East Bay health centers. “She was in a domestic violence situation and was determined to end her pregnancy. It was also really hard for her to get space away from this person because of COVID,” Kim said. “I tried to find abortion-access for her someplace much nearer her home, but the wait-time was far too long. She wanted to come here.”
Kim helped the patient get an inexpensive hotel room very near the health center, directed her to a nearby Medi-Cal support center where she could also get food stamps, and gave her referrals to domestic violence shelters. All this before the patient even left her home.
“She was so happy and relieved,” Kim said. “She was saying, ‘I love Planned Parenthood! I love you! You guys are amazing!’
“And I was telling her that helping people like her is exactly why I’m here. I told her that the way I was making her feel is the way she’s making me feel. It feels like a gift. It really does.”
Tags: Abortion, pandemic, domestic_violence