FRANK LEWIS

PDT Staff Writer

The Portsmouth City Health Department now has evening family planning STD (Sexually Transmitted Disease) clinics.

“It’s family planning — birth control, pap smears, breast exams, all the things that go along with that, the full service,” said Raylene Maloy of the Health Department. “We do it once a month, the fourth Wednesday of each month from 11 a.m. until 7 p.m., at the Portsmouth City Health Department, 605 Washington St. We do clinics weekly, but we started having an evening clinic once a month a few months ago for the people who work. It’s for men and women, even if they are not sexually active and they just want birth control, or they’re concerned about a lump in their breast, we can still see them.”

Maloy said all tests, including those for pregnancy, HIV, Hepatitis C, gonorrhea and chlamydia, can be done at the clinic.

Maloy said the clinic is funded by Title-X. The Title X Family Planning program “Population Research and Voluntary Family Planning Programs,” was enacted in 1970 as Title X of the Public Health Service Act. Title X is the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services. The Title X program is designed to provide access to contraceptive services, supplies and information to all who want and need them. By law, priority is given to persons from low-income families.

“It’s federal money so it doesn’t matter where you live, we can still serve you,” Maloy said. “We get a lot of people from Kentucky, and from different counties that don’t have this kind of grant. I think one of the nice things about this grant is for teenagers. They don’t have to have parental consent, for some that would hold them back. They just have to be 13 years of age.”

Maloy said appointments may be made by calling 740-353-8863, ext. 251, but she said they will try to work walk-ins in.

Frank Lewis may be reached at 740-353-3101, ext. 232, or at flewis@heartlandpublications.com.