Planned Parenthood

Phenomenal! I have been coming here for years for my annual exam and every experience has been great. The staff is very professional while also being friendly. I really appreciated that they were able to squeeze me in short notice when I found out I would be losing my health insurance.
I also had a great experience bringing my mentee (who is over 18) in when she told me she wanted to go on birth control. They went over all of the option with her and were super patient when she opted for an IUD and needed a lot of hand holding, time, and encouraging words while having the procedure done.
Highly recommend!

So, I started going to this Planned Parenthood location a while back ago. At first, most of the clinicians/​nurse practitioners were very nice and friendly, but unfortunately this changed over time. The receptionist/​girl at the front desk is always so so nice and I’m so thankful she’s there with a smiling face, but sadly much of the other staff is not the same way. The girls who call your name in the waiting room are generally nice while greeting you. Once they take you to a private room to start discussing any symptoms about any type of infection they seem to become a little confused. When you describe what you’re feeling they look at you like you have 20 heads and like you’re crazy. As if going to the doctor’s isn’t already nerve-​wracking for some, this definitely doesn’t help. They will then potentially bring you to a bathroom for a urine sample for whatever you are being tested for. The bathroom is very dark and somewhat dirty. So many people try to open the door on you, because there is no way of telling if it is occupied or not. As soon as you put the urine sample through the little window, someone grabs it immediately, which makes it kind of uncomfortable because they can see you in there.
Now you go to a room to speak to a nurse practitioner. I have met with a woman with curly hair two times. I believe her name is Stacy. Unfortunately, I have never really had good luck with her. She smiles and everything, which is nice, but you can feel a sort of tension in the room as if she almost maybe don’t like you or is looking at your weirdly. She gets kind of rough when it comes to getting a pelvic exam done. So many people are nervous about these exams and if your legs move at all, she gets kind of upset. While I understand how these exams our done there are other ways of expressing the same points without sounding so stern about it. She also claims that basically all birth control is the same, which is definitely not true especially for me. It took me 5 different brands of birth control to get to one that actually works for me and she was encouraging me to switch to one they carried at their clinic, while I had already been on a different brand for quite some time and was happy with it. I also noticed that this location tests for chlamydia and gonorrhea using pelvic exams for women rather than urine samples. I have been to other Planned Parenthood locations that do use urine samples for these types of STD testing. Offering the option of a urine sample definitely does help encourage women to get checked knowing they won’t have to go through an exam for it. Generally speaking, I just wish the staff at this Planned Parenthood were actually more knowledgeable and it would be so nice to be able to pick which nurse practitioner you will see. I know what I have experienced and even have found other people online who have the same symptoms as me with the same causes, but when I bring this up to them they just laugh at me. Wish the staff was more kind, understanding, gentle, and knowledgeable.

I was a huge supporter of PP… and I still, just not RI location because of their policy of not accepting out of state insurance – Even if its a national plan.
It seems ridiculous, especially when there are colleges in the area with struggling students that may need to utilize their services for emergency/​medical/​routine services, but not qualify for free/​sliding scale fee’s.

I went to this clinic for the first time yesterday, and I’m excited to be able to go back. I went in for my birth control refill and it was so quick and easy, I couldn’t believe it. They fit my need of an appointment perfectly, I told them when I needed my birth control and my best time frame and they did it with ease. The wait to see the staff was immensely short. The ENTIRE staff was incredibly helpful and friendly. They always insure privacy and everything you need. They make sure you’re comfortable every step of the way.
My previous OB-​GYN cannot even compare. I always felt uncomfortable going in, the staff was rude, there was always more than one staff member around during private conversations, lengthy paperwork, long waits for everything, and so much more. I could never get an appointment with average doctors. Mind you, I am almost but not yet 18, so my previous doctor always forced a parent to be with me, Planned Parenthood did nothing of the source. Going to the OB-​GYN with your mother makes you feel immature and small, and it’s kinda awkward between you and your mom after (those «how was it???» questions, don’t get me started). I understand the need for a parent and all that, but it’s much harder to get scheduled when two people are accounted for. Not that this is greatly important for most, sorry!
I cannot stress how great Planned Parenthood is. I am so happy I chose this over struggling to find another doctor. Please, trust me, trust them, go.

I really love this place. Everyone is really friendly and the waiting area is nice and spacious. I wanted to see a professional with a good deal more placement experience with long term birth control options than your average doctor. I wasn’t trying to futz that up on purpose. They answered all my ridiculous questions, in a shame free, embarrassment free zone.
Plus, pink pens. And free pads if you need ‘em. In a basket. Out in the open. Just take one. No shade. :)

So I’m a typical lower middle class gal who is terrified of the gyno. To a point where the idea if seeing the same person look at my lady parts each time freaks me out. I also waited way, way, way too long to make my first appointment.
So, I couldn’t get in elsewhere and I was in a trigger happy, get it over with mood. Pp was able to take me within a week. I printed out and filled out all the paperwork ahead of time and made my way to the office to hopefully not have a panic attack before getting on the table.
I won’t lie. Going here doesn’t necessarily make you feel great. While the staff is awesome some of the clientele makes you wonder what the staff is thinking about you. Everyone treated me with utter respect and even joked with me when I explained why I put off an exam til I was 25 (yes, I know, bad bad bad).
What really stood out to me was this. Apparently my blood pressure was bizarrely high, the dr. Stacey, instead of letting me leave with a prescription that would mess with my blood pressure or complicate it, asked me if I watched my blood pressure and if I knew what it normally was. Luckily I did, we talked for a few minutes and she took my blood pressure again and them discussed that she would have been uncomfortable putting me on a specific formulation without that conversation and verification once I had calmed down. To me, many doctors just would have written a prescriptions and sent me on my way, yet this one I may never have a tie with again went to such measures to make sure I’d be alright.

Update: I went back for another regular check-​up because I didn’t get my act together to find another care provider in time for my annual exam. Dealt with the usual long wait, which wasn’t so bad because I was expecting it this time. Everything was fine until they called me 5 MONTHS after my exam to tell me there were some irregular test results that they missed on my paperwork because they were computerizing their system. 5 MONTHS. And THEN they billed my insurance for the 2^nd time, which I now have to straighten out. Never again, PPRI.

This place has been my sole source of medical care for the last three years since I finished grad school and couldn’t find full time work/​afford personal health insurance. Planned Parenthood is a godsend for low-​income women and couples, and we absolutely need them in this country.
After I got health insurance, I had to wait three months to get an appointment with a primary care doctor. Planned Parenthood was the only place that was willing to work with me, and they got me in in less than a week.
I cannot speak highly enough about this place. The staff have always been professional, courteous and friendly. I plan to continue to go to Planned Parenthood even though I have a primary care physician because they are excellent at what they do, and they really care about women’s health.

Been going to this planned parenthood for my annual exams and testing since I was old enough to have to go. Staff is usually really nice, personable, and friendly. I never seem to get the same doctor, but I don’t mind, every one is so nice.
They take my insurance, and it’s easy to get an appointment.

I use PPRI for my annual STI screening. While I could do this through my primary care physician, I like to patronize them, and I feel they have a special flair for talking about STI’s when I do have questions. And their nurses are always friendly and talkative. Being here, I always feel like these people care, which I can’t really say about the lab at my doctor’s office. They just stick the needle in.
Service is usually pretty quick when I have an appointment, too.
My only gripe is that when I schedule an appointment, it may be three weeks or a month away. I’d like to be able to at least get in within two weeks. It doesn’t seem unreasonable.
But overall I love this place.
(The Planned Parenthood Express, which is commented on by previous reviewers, has been closed for a while now. The problem with the place is that it was so infrequently used that it wasn’t even economical to keep it fully staffed. At least that was my understanding. I loved it while it was there because I could walk there from home or work to have my blood work done. But the location was unfortunate, as the chief demographic for the area, horny college students from Brown or RISD, are already served by their own health services.)

The best part about this place is the staff! Friendly, warm and great educators! They taught me a lot about different birth control methods when i went and helped me pick the perfect one for me. They are now my Gyn provider. I would really recommend this health center to women who need gyn services and birth control at low cost. They have sliding scale fees and you can pick up your pills right there without going to a pharmacy! By appointment only though so call ahead!

I agree with the previous reviewer– this place seems much better run than Planned Parenthood Express. It may just be that its a bigger office with more staff, but my visits here always went well and the doctors/​nurses treated me with respect, care, and professionalism.