New partnership to increase access to reproductive health services

||| FROM SAN JUAN COUNTY COMMUNICATIONS |||

At today’s Board of Health Meeting, San Juan County Health & Community Services and Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood announced they are partnering to make reproductive health services easier to access in San Juan County. Starting in January 2025 Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood will be operating out of Health & Community Services’ Friday Harbor clinic office one day per week. 

Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood (MBPP) will use the health department’s Friday Harbor clinic to conduct appointments and offer reproductive health services in our community. County residents can make an appointment directly with MBPP. By sharing clinic space, Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood can provide important healthcare and Health & Community Services (HCS) can expand reproductive and sexual health testing and services in a sustainable manner for county residents. 

Beginning in January 2025, MBPP will provide the following services out of the HCS Friday Harbor clinic every Thursday from 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m.:

• Sexually Transmitted Infection (STI) testing and treatment
• PrEP (Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis) and PEP (Post-Exposure Prophylaxis)
• HIV (Human Immunodeficiency Virus) testing
• Birth control methods and supplies, including long-acting reversible contraception
• Emergency contraception
• Pregnancy testing and options counseling/referrals
• Wellness and preventive care exams and cancer screenings
• Menopause services
• Problem-focused visits
• Sexual dysfunction

HCS public health nurses will continue to provide HIV and Chlamydia testing, pregnancy tests, emergency contraceptive, contraceptive starts and contraceptive counselling, and reproductive health referrals on an as-needed basis for people needing these services on days that MBPP is not scheduling patients in the Friday Harbor office.

Since the pandemic, MBPP has had difficulty retaining front office staff which is necessary to provide a safe environment for providers to see patients. HCS staff will not be checking Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood patients in for appointments, but they will be available in the front office waiting room to assist with the check-in kiosk system if needed. Additionally, if a MBPP provider is unable to make it to the island because of weather conditions or other travel disruptions, HCS staff will be available as a back-up to provide emergency contraception, contraceptive starts, pregnancy tests, and HIV and Chlamydia testing. Without this unique solution, MBPP would not be able to continue offering reproductive health care services in our community.

We are excited for this opportunity to increase access and availability of services for our community in partnership with a long-standing organization. Please check our website and Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood’s website for updates as more information becomes available. 

Access to healthcare was a top community-identified need in our county found in our 2023 Community Health Assessment. You can read the full report online here and follow along with the project on our Engage page. 

Relevant URLs:

• Mt. Baker Planned Parenthood
• San Juan County Reproductive Health
• Community Health Assessment – Engage

About San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services    

San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services is responsible for community and environmental health, mental health and substance abuse programs, senior services, affordable housing projects, and more. The department has staff and offices on Lopez, Orcas, and San Juan Islands. For more information about San Juan County’s Department of Health & Community Services, visit www.sanjuancountywa.gov/1777/Health-Community-Services.