The Antelope Valley Times

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Planned Parenthood hosts Antelope Valley Health Center open house

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Planned Parenthood CEO and President presents the health center staff with an award congratulating them on the opening of the Palmdale center.

PALMDALE – Planned Parenthood has recognized the needs of the Antelope Valley by building a health center in Palmdale.

The health center, which opened Nov. 30, 2011 and has already served more than 800 people, held an open-house Thursday.

Planned Parenthood CEO and President Sue Dunlap said she was proud to have a health center in the Antelope Valley.

“I’m honored to be here together working toward a healthful Antelope Valley,” Dunlap said.

Serena Josel, Planned Parenthood director of public affairs, said one of the main reasons the health center opened in Palmdale is because residents have a high STD rate.

“There’s not a lot of places to go for treatment here, especially for the uninsured, which is probably why so many have STDs,” Josel said.

Education is a large part of prevention, whether in STDs or pregnancy. This is one of the rooms for the community to talk to a counselor about different preventative services.

The Los Angeles County Department of Public Health found in 2007 that the Antelope Valley has a higher rate for STDs, infant mortality and unplanned pregnancies than the rest of the county, Josel said. She added that they also found that AV residents have the lowest number of pap smear testing.

“I want to ensure everyone has access to comprehensive reproductive health care,” said Linda Jones, a local community leader. “For many in the AV, this is their primary care provider, and they can’t go anywhere else.”

The services the health center provides are 93 percent preventative, Josel said.

“I feel strongly that prevention is how people can have the happiest, healthiest lives,” she said.

Some of the services given include birth control, pap smears, STD testing and treatment, cancer screenings as well as counseling for the different birth control methods, pregnancy options, and education on STDs and prevention, she added.

“We’ve tried to make sure this is the highest quality care anyone can get,” Josel said. “People should be treated with respect whether you can afford health insurance or not.”

The health center has top-of-the-line equipment, including motion control sensors, in the exam rooms so there is less risk for infection, as well as electronic files, which will allow patients to go to different Planned Parenthood centers with all their information updated.

“We’ll have the most information to give the person appropriate care,” Josel said.

Before this center, Antelope Valley residents used to have to drive to other Planned Parenthood health care centers in the San Fernando Valley to get counseling, testing or treatment, she said.

“I’m glad we don’t have to travel over 50 miles to get basic care now,” Jones said.

Even the testing done in the health center is run in the lab room in Palmdale to provide quicker results and help cut down on costs, Josel said.

Planned Parenthood’s presence in the Antelope Valley started out as a clinic without walls at Antelope Valley College and has grown into the new health center, said Rachelle Smith, Planned Parenthood staff.

“This is about being responsible,” Jones said. “I want to make sure we protect the right to choose.”

Filed Under: Palmdale

26 comments for "Planned Parenthood hosts Antelope Valley Health Center open house"

  1. You could definitely see your skills within the paintings you write. The sector hopes for more passionate writers like you who are not afraid to mention how they believe. All the time follow your heart.

  2. COLOR TV Cable porn!? Really.. COLOR! FINALLY! I’m glad it’s not that B&W [removed] that I’m sure you were use to growing up [removed]. Don’t like it here, move the [removed] out. You act like this is the only area with these problems. Give me a break. Take your meds (alcohol in your case) and have the nursing home put you back to sleep.

    By the way, it sounds like your own daughter was one of those [removed] who took advantage of “Free Abortions” after getting pregnant from drinking to much “Booze” and watching way to much “Color TV Porn”. I’m sure though she qualifies for “Section 8 Housing” and uses her Government cheese money to “Gamble” instead while attending a “Lethargic Church” to repent for her “Street Crime” sins.

    [removed] (Isn’t that a mouthful), get the [removed] out, nobody wants you here.. damn pet detective.

    • It’s called PLANNED Parenthood, not Putting off Parenthood (though I may open up an abortion clinic and name it this myself)or Killing Babies Inc. Planned Parenthood just so happens to let expecting mothers, such as Detective Ace Venturas daughter, kill off their problem so it doesn’t turn into an evil thing like their father. However, it’s main mission is to give dirty girls who love ‘meaningless dirty sex’ an avenue to go to in case they wish to raise the child or even just to provide preventative measures.

  4. If Ace said it, then it must be univestigated malarky… ‘Cause that’s how Ace rolls!

  5. OMG! How on God’s green earth did anybody put you onto a board of ANY type, Ace? This is a prime example as to why our government is so disfunctional: religious zealots who can’t tell fact from fiction sitting in advisory positions.

  6. Quick question for you Ace Johnnie Carter.. is a Psychological Exam required to hold and maintain a firearm permit? I might just have to file a complaint against you. I do not think someone with such extremist views should be allowed such a permit. I’m worried about the safety of the people who don’t live their lives the same way you do.. you’ve also made it quite clear you are mentally unstable. A quick Google reference of your email address is enough to prove that.

  7. Ill call him and thank him for taking care of the Antelope Valleys trash problem! Take out the trash.. I mean fetus!

    By the way Ace, I’m glad you weren’t able to enjoy your grandchildren. ROFL.

    <3

    • Wow, James. That’s just harsh. I mean; sure, Ace is a mentally unstable zealot who can’t see the forest for the trees and believes that he is some kind of modern Sherlock Holmes (ROFLMAO), but that last line was just a bit cruel and biting.

  8. Are you in any way related to the Phelps clan from the Westboro Baptist Church? The same Church that pickets funerals of dead soldiers. You are a nut-bag Ace. I’m going to pickett your business and let people know what a mentally handicapped douche you really are. You’re a private(s) investigator.. that job suites you well you sick pervert.

  9. Spare the regurgitated religious fear-mongering propaganda. It’s a health clinic, not an abortion mill. And even if the clergy is upset, why should that have ANY impact on the facility’s right to be established?

    Let me guess: “Because my imaginary friend told some primitive people thousands of years ago.”

    • The clergy doesn’t care if they upset others so why should we care what upsets the clergy. I don’t hold them or their beliefs sacred and they have absolutely no authority over me, nor do their churches and/or their bibles.

      I’ve drawn the line just as our Founding Fathers did when they wrote the founding documents. We’ve put up with the intrusion of various religions and religious fanatics in this country for too long because we are tolerant people unlike them. Yet, they claim we are intolerant when we push back against their intolerance. That also makes them hypocrites of the highest order.

      Ace is so unchristian despite all his religious babble, it’s almost amusing except that it’s not. It’s harmful.

  10. Ace, it is amazing the things that pop up when you put a simple email address into google. You sir are a NUT-JOB!

    I’m surprised your own offspring were allowed to live.. just for the sole reason that you created them. You should have not been allowed to breed. Your daughter realized that their twins might end up like you so they took care of business. Good for them!

    You have nothing better to do in your old age but raise a stink about everything. As I have now seen in forums boards you have posted in, people think you are an idiot.. and I quote “Ace, the problem is. . . you really don’t care, you just love to blog crap. Tune to a different station idiot.” But as usual you come back with the same reply of “You are a liar as well as a coward who hides behind a phoney name..” Just because you are some nut who doesn’t mind posting their name for the world to see doesn’t mean we all are. I’m going to take a wild shot in the dark here and guess that your children have no contact with you? Or they do and only for the reason they dont know what a nut job you are on the internet.. OR maybe they’re just like you and MORON runs in the family. Don’t quit your day job Detective Jackoff.

    By the way, it’s finally time the shit hole AV gets a planned parenthood. All the damn sluts in the local high-schools giving birth while still in school. Shit, I know one girl who is 20 and already has three kids. GIVE ME A BREAK. To bad retroactive abortion is illegal.

  11. Planned Parenthood is a Non-Profit that provides
    l. Reproductive Medicine, which allows women to go safely through pregnancy.
    2. Safer Sex Life, by information
    3. Safe effective affordable and acceptable methods of birth control.
    And
    4. Abortions account for only 3% of Planned Parenthoods, reproductive health maternal health and child health, Care Programs.

    • According to Sen. Kyl (R)AZ, abortion counts for something like 90% of PP operations but you know how the right lies, lies and lies some more. He then said something stupid like his statement wasn’t intended to be factual.

      Gingrich said about the same thing when he was quoted, that if someone quotes him it’s a lie.

      The republicans don’t deserve to be listened to regarding women’s health issues. They are ill-informed and likely to make up stuff as we’ve seen this week with Rush Limbaugh and Bill O’Reilly.

  12. “Serena Josel, Planned Parenthood director of public affairs, said one of the main reasons the health center opened in Palmdale is because residents have a high STD rate.”

    All I have to say is “WOW!!!!!!!!”

    • Are you surprised? I need several pairs of hands to count how many girls got pregnant while I was attending high school in the AV. There were several who were very open about having had the “clap” ect.

      • You must have went to “ho-land high school” like my brother. oops, i mean “highland high school” lol

    • Oh my GOD. As if listening to Ace spew his BS we now have to listen to some religious nut-job spew his religion. Pray to your god, worship your god, I dont care.. but dont bring up your god when it involves something like this because until your god miracles his ass in front of me, he very well doesn’t exist.. and you dont have to remind me, Im going to hell.

  15. I’m so glad Planned Parenthood has finally come to Palmdale to provide much needed services like birth control and cancer screenings. My job doesn’t provide health insurance and I can’t afford to purchase it on my own. Planend Parenthood is the only place I go for medical care but I’ve been having to drive all the way to Van Nuys. Thank you Planned Parenthood for helping me stay healthy! Your staff is always so nice and I know I’m getting the best possible care.