Oracle Online

On a campus that is smaller than many high schools, discussing life-changing personal issues can be tough. For students who wish to forgo a trip to Counseling and Health Services, whether seeking info or treatment, there are off-campus options for students in need of medical attention or counseling.

Birthright

Just down Snelling Ave is Birthright. Birthright services any woman who feels distressed by an unplanned pregnancy, regardless of their age, race, marital or economic status. However, Birthright is not a clinic.

According to volunteer counselor Nancy Bogdanovich, “Birthright cannot really be considered a ‘clinic’ because there are no doctors or nurses here; everyone who works at Birthright is a volunteer, and the building’s rent and supplies have all been donated.”

Due to generous donations, everything that the organization provides is completely free of charge, including pregnancy tests.

After the results of a pregnancy test are determined, women can receive counseling and information about other options, which do not include abortion.

“The Birthright staff believes that abortion will make the mother suffer physically and emotionally,” said Bogdanovich. “However, the entire staff is completely non-judgmental and sincerely cares about the mother of the child, not only the child.”

Birthright also dispenses free diapers, baby clothes, and formula to mothers each month. The organization is sponsored by the religious non-profit organization Cradle of Hope. Cradle of Hope supplies them with car seats, cribs, and strollers, allowing mothers the opportunity to make appointments in order to receive those kinds of gifts.

Birthright is open Monday through Saturday from 10 a.m.-1p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 5:30 p.m.-8 p.m. It is located south on Snelling at 299 Snelling Ave. For additional information call (651) 646-7033 or visit www.birthright.org.

Family Tree Clinic

Family Tree Clinic, featured at the Hamline Health and Wellness fair, features more services than those concerning pregnancy.

“We offer STD testing, birth control, colposcopy (a follow up for abnormal pap smears), pregnancy tests, HIV testing (which we are now able to provide test results for in less than 20 minutes), routine pelvic and breast exams, and annual health care maintenance exams,” said volunteer coordinator, Alyssa Light.

Family Tree Clinic’s mission is to supply affordable, low-cost health and public services. The cost of each visit depends the person. Unlike Birthright and Highland Life-Care Center, not all of the Family Tree Clinic services are free, and patients will most likely be charged 40-100 percent of the actual cost of the visit.

A person will not be denied service if they cannot pay, however Family Tree Clinic expects that everyone will eventually pay their bills.

Women can find birth control at the clinic for only $15 a pack, but because the clinic does not accept walk-ins, women must make an appointment for the pill ahead of time.

Family Tree Clinic participates in the American Family Planning Federation which allows them to supply free visits and numerous services, which has aided the clinic in becoming the largest provider of reproductive health care in Ramsey County.

A community board of directors oversees the operation of the clinic, and a physician, a nurse practitioner, a physician assistant and a nurse midwife are also included in the staff.

Family Tree Clinic is open Monday and Wednesday from 8:30 a.m.-8:30 p.m. and Tuesday and Thursday from 8:30 a.m.-5:30 p.m. The clinic is located at 1619 Dayton Ave. Suite 205. For additional information, call (651) 645-0478 or visit www.familytreeclinic.org.

Highland Life-Care Center

A little further away is the Highland Life-Care Center. This organization offers free pregnancy tests and ultrasounds to any woman who walks in the door.

“Absolutely no one is kicked out or turned down,” said client advocate Sara Nigon.

Like Birthright, the Highland Life-Care Center gives out diapers and clothes to women once a month and will also supply baby equipment such as car seats and cribs. However, the baby equipment is contributed in a much different manner then it is at Birthright.

“Those types of things must be earned through a program called, ‘Learn and Earn’,” said Nigon, “This program educates parents with a wide variety of parenting lessons, with each class attended they earn credits that can go towards getting baby equipment.”

The clinic also helps with referrals so that parents can receive financial aid to help fund rent or housing and every service offered at Highland Life-Care Center is completely free.

Highland Life-Care Center is open Monday through Friday 9 a.m. - 3 p.m. and is located at 2075 Ford Pkwy. For additional information, call (651) 695-0111 or visit www.totallifecare.org.

West Suburban Teen Clinic

If you are willing to travel a little further west, the West Suburban Teen Clinic in Excelsior may be exactly what you’re looking for. The West Suburban Teen Clinic offers non-judgmental, low cost medical, mental health, and health education to anyone ages 12 to 23.

Birth control exams, prescriptions (patients must attend a family planning counseling session before initiating birth control), emergency contraceptives, testing and treatment of sexually transmitted infections,

HIV/AIDS risk assessment and testing, pregnancy testing, one to one health education, and referrals are all services that the West Suburban Teen Clinic provides.

Every client at the clinic can participate in individual STI and HIV/AIDS risk reduction counseling.

Just like Family Tree Clinic, not everything at the West Suburban Teen Clinic is completely free of charge; however, no one will be refused care if they are unable to pay.

Many clients will also be eligible for the Minnesota Family Planning Program, which can pay the entire cost for low-income women’s pregnancy prevention services.

The West Suburban Teen Clinic is open Monday, Thursday, and Friday from noon-5 p.m. and Tuesday and Wednesday from noon - 5 p.m.

It is located at 478 2nd St. in Excelsior.

For additional information, call (952) 474-3251 or visit www.westsuburbanteenclinic.org.