Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida
Opens New Health Center in South Fort Myers
For Immediate Release: Jan. 27, 2020 (Updated: Jan. 27, 2020, midnight)
New center offers comprehensive reproductive and sexual health care modern gynecological health care to meet growing demand in the region.
FORT MYERS, FL – Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida (PPSWCF) is proud to announce the opening of its newest health center in South Fort Myers.
On January 27, PPSWCF will begin seeing patients at their new state-of-the-art 4,817 square foot facility at 6418 Commerce Park Drive.
“This is what our motto: Care. No matter what. looks like. We have been working for the past several years to be able to expand and modernize our health center,” said Stephanie Fraim, president and CEO of PPSWCF. “This community is growing, and we want to provide quality health care in a modern facility.”
PPSWCF services include expert, affordable and confidential health care services to patients including cancer screenings, well-person exams, birth control/IUDs, free condoms, pregnancy testing and ultrasounds, pregnancy options counseling, hormone replacement therapy, emergency contraception, miscarriage care, abortion care, HIV, UTI and STD testing and treatment, breast health and mammogram referrals, transgender care, Gardasil (HPV vaccination), menopause care and more.
According to Fraim, the additional space will allow for more staff including licensed physicians, advanced practice nurses, registered nurses and other medical personnel. The center is fully accredited and licensed. From entrance to exit, the facility meets the highest standards for providing gynecological health care and has passed inspection by the Florida Department of Health.
For 103 years, Planned Parenthood has been one of the nation’s leading providers of high-quality, respectful sexual and reproductive health care and the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With or without insurance, patients can always find health care at PPSWCF which currently serves more than 42,000 patients throughout a 22-county area in Florida.
“I’m so thrilled that Planned Parenthood was able to expand into their larger new facility,” said Karen Nathan, a community supporter of the expansion project and advocate. “Planned Parenthood is an integral part of the healthcare community in southwest Florida.”
In 2016, PPSWCF launched a transgender care program, which counted for four percent (2,640 visits) of services provided in 2019.
“As a transgender patient, I value the accessible and affordable services Planned Parenthood provides,” said Kasey Fraize, a senior at Florida Gulf Coast University. “Without them I would not have access to hormone replacement therapy due to a lack of service providers and cost barriers with insurance. The work that Planned Parenthood does is important for people of all genders and I’m passionate about the work they provide the transgender community.”
On January 16, a blessing of the new building was held with seven local clergy participants from six religious organizations across Southwest Florida.
“The mission of Planned Parenthood, in its efforts to provide women in particular with vital health-related services, is a real way of showing love for one’s neighbor,” said Rev. Dr. John H. Danner, senior pastor, Sanibel Congregational United Church of Christ.
The new facility was made possible by PPSWCF donors and supporters.
“We are really proud to be serving patients in Lee County and how our donors and supporters came together to make this possible,” Fraim added. “We are unwavering in our belief that all people deserve high-quality, respectful health care and access to information and reproductive services they need.”
Planned Parenthood educators also provide community outreach services by holding education sessions at youth shelters, foster homes, jails, juvenile justice facilities, substance abuse treatment centers and community-based organizations like PACE Center for Girls, Boys and Girls Clubs, colleges and more.
Those wanting to learn more about Planned Parenthood or support PPSWCF’s efforts can attend the Lee County Choice Affair luncheon on February 21, 2020 from 11:30 am to 1:00 pm. The event will feature journalist and author of the New York Times best seller, Sarah Smarsh.
Planned Parenthood is open Monday through Saturday and accepts appointments as well as walk-in patients. For more information, visit MyPlannedParenthood.org or call (239) 481-9999.