Click photo to enlarge
Planned Parenthood of Orem who has been there for years just opened a new building that is extremely eco-friendly and LEED certified, and their staff are eager to help. From left, Rosanna Uribe, Jessica McClain, Melissa Brown, Annie Jorgensen and Kali Farnsworth make up part of the staff. The much larger facility hopes to provide a better experience for clients in hopes of making them more comfortable and healthier at the same time.

The fresh air and bright light at the new Planned Parenthood clinic in Orem is an investment in the planet, and officials believe that will translate into good health. Opened in May, the new facility at 1086 North and 1200 West is as eco-conscious as designers could imagine: fueled with geothermal energy, outfitted with bamboo cupboards and located on a bus line.

Though it cost about 30 percent more to build, leaders say the price will be recouped in time and their clients will benefit right away.

"I believe this new environment is going to help them open up to us," said Carli Hess, an area coordinator for Planned Parenthood Association of Utah.

Planned Parenthood, a nationwide organization, offers low-cost family planning and reproductive healthcare services. Men and women can seek help with sexually transmitted diseases, birth control and pregnancy.

The largest percentage of the clients at Planned Parenthood in Utah are between the ages of 20 and 24. About 15 percent of the total are men.

Orem has had a Planned Parenthood facility for about 20 years, but that facility had become too small to handle demand. Some clients had to wait as much as two weeks for appointments.

The new building is designed to meet the needs of 15,000 clients annually, which would allow the current population of clients to triple. Two more staff members have already been added.

Even in the first few weeks at its

Advertisement
new location, which is easily accessible from the freeway, the clinic has seen new clients from local colleges. Many of their questions are basic such as how birth control works and sexually transmitted diseases are contracted.

"It's not something that's touched on in high school," said Jessica McClain, medical assistant at the clinic.

These kinds of questions aren't new for the medical providers. The Orem clinic has always had a high rate of people requesting premarital exams who may not have had previous sexual experience.

With the downturn in the economy, there's also been an uptick in clients who have lost their jobs and insurance. They may not be able to pay for birth control through their regular doctor.

Throughout the state, all Planned Parenthood clinics are working to become more "green" through changes such as fewer paper products and new parking for bikes and mopeds.

"All women and men [receiving] reproductive health care need to be respected and served in the best possible manner," said Karrie Galloway, the president of Planned Parenthood in Utah.

But only the Orem facility, designed by Angela Dean of AMD Architecture, will be under consideration for the Gold Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEED). The designation, which reflects low energy use and environmental impact, would be the first for a Planned Parenthood center in the country.

Whatever happens, the clients in Orem have already noticed the changes.

" We've had a lot of clients asking about the green things," McClain said.

The new design affords them more dignity. The clients smile and say, "it was worth waiting."

 

jlyon@sltrib.com

Want to know more?

For appointments or questions, call (801) 226-5246.