Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York is planning a big upgrade for its Rochester and Syracuse centers.
As the organization nears its seven million dollar goal of a fundraising campaign it also names Michelle Casey as new president and CEO. Casey was previously the chief program officer at Finger Lakes Health Systems Agency.
“I think as health care has changed it's really more of a team based sport than it used to be,” Casey says, is partly why optimal configuration of physical space can make a difference for patient care.
The “Campaign to Care. No Matter What.” promises to renovate the Rochester and Syracuse health centers after 25 years of little or no upgrades.
“Things have changed a lot in the past 25 years. We use electronic health records. We use ultrasounds. We need a lot more equipment than we have in the past,” says Dr. Rachael Phelps, medical director of Planned Parenthood for Central and Western New York.
In addition to increasing clinical spaces and upgrading equipment Planned Parenthood will also expand child play areas.
“We work so hard everyday to provide really high quality evidence-based care to all of our patients. But, unfortunately, when you have spaces that haven't been updated in 25 years, our surroundings don't reflect that same high quality of care,” Phelps says.
With more room, Phelps says, patient care will be more efficient. Also, she adds, providers will be able
to offer additional services like intravenous sedation. Currently the Planned Parenthood center in
Rochester offers minimal sedation like Vicodin and Valium for women who may want it.
“The procedure itself is three to five minutes. It’s very quick. Women do very well with it. But, a lot of women, they want stronger medicine and this is going to allow us to give that to them,” says Phelps.
Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York plans to wrap up the fundraising campaign by the end of the year and begin renovations in early 2017.