By RAELYNN RICARTE
News staff writer

The Hood River County Health Department is offering free birth control to men and women who are struggling in the economic recession.

“We can help people who have lost a job and just don’t have money right now for family planning,” said Ellen Larsen, director of the health department.

“Having an unplanned pregnancy in this economy is quite a stressor and we help prevent that from happening.”

The clinic at 11th and June streets has obtained a federal grant of $40,000 to use for family planning. The funding will be used to provide services to uninsured clients who don’t qualify for the Medicaid waiver program due to citizenship status and other criteria. Under that program, clients pay on a sliding fee scale.

Larsen said the market cost of birth control pills is $50-$60 per month, a price that many women cannot afford without some type of subsidy. She said middle-income clients are also welcome and the department will bill private insurance carriers.

“We do have capacity to serve more clients so we want the community to know that we are here,” she said.

Larsen said temporary birth control measures are made immediately available to women awaiting a medical examination. And both female and male condoms are available for $1.50 per dozen.

“If you can’t afford to pay we are going to say, ‘Just take them,’” said Patricia Stokes, nursing supervisor and family planning coordinator.

By Oregon law, teenagers can obtain services from the clinic without parental permission. Larsen said the available choices of birth control are discussed during exams, which are given Monday through Thursday from 7:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.

Walk-in visitations for birth control renewals and other services can take place between 7:30 a.m. and 5:30 p.m. from Monday through Friday.

“When you come in a nurse will visit with you to determine what needs to happen that day,” said Larsen. “It’s real individual; whatever you need when you walk in the door.”

Birth control choices offered at the department include: Depo-Provera shots, the Plan B “morning after” pill, diaphragm and cervical barriers, the Ortho Evra patch, spermicides, the Implanon implant, fertility awareness methods, a vaginal ring, and contraceptive patch.

Larsen said anyone accessing the clinic’s services without a birth certificate will be able to order one at no cost. She said a copy of that information is placed in the confidential file of new clients, who are also asked to provide a brief medical and relationship history.

Larsen said annual breast and vaginal exams are an important health tool for women because they can reveal undetected problems. She said regular check-ups for sexually transmitted infections — such as the often symptom-free chlamydia — are also important, especially for females age 25 and under who are in the high-risk group.

Stokes said clients are given complete instructions about all the potential methods of birth control so they can make an informed decision.

For example, women wanting the Depo-Provera shots are advised to keep their calcium levels up and refrain from smoking.

“We help people best maximize the methods they are using and let them know what the risks are,” said Stokes.

For more information, or to schedule an appointment, call the health department at 386-1115.