It’s National Nurses Week so we’d like to take a moment to highlight our compassionate and skilled providers. While we’re all adjusting to the new realities of COVID-19, Planned Parenthood health care providers are making it possible for patients to receive expanded care online and over the phone, and providing essential sexual and reproductive health services inside our health centers.
We always appreciate our providers, but after witnessing the way they are confronting new challenges and adapting to the rapidly changing environment with grace and grit, we are more thankful for them now than ever.
Meet Lisa, a Planned Parenthood Nurse
Lisa is a registered nurse in our Sioux Falls Health Center in South Dakota. We asked Lisa to share some of her experiences working at Planned Parenthood in this moment:
Most of my nursing career was spent working in critical care, but after years of this, I was looking for a change. I had always been interested in working in reproductive health—there is a huge need, especially in South Dakota. Abstinence only education is what passes for sex education in our public schools, and minors cannot access prescriptive birth control without parental consent.
I had always been interested in working in reproductive health—there is a huge need, especially in South Dakota.
We already face restrictions on sex education in our public schools, contraceptive access, and abortion access, so these challenging times have made an ongoing battle even more challenging. Still, I am focused on meeting the needs of our community. I’ve shifted as much as possible to phone contact so that patients can get health care with no potential for exposure. I also drive to Rochester, Minnesota once per week to help with medication abortion services through telehealth—this is a 7-hour round trip.
It's clear how hard everyone is working, so during National Nurses Week, I want all of my fellow health care providers to know: you are all amazing.
Planned Parenthood North Central States is highlighting providers throughout National Nurses Week on Facebook, Instagram, and Twitter . Follow along to get to know a few of the phenomenal nurses dedicated to providing the reproductive and sexual health care our community needs.
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