Planned Parenthood to Expand App-Based Health Services to All 50 States

The Wall Street Journal

By Stephanie Armour
Updated Sept. 4, 2019 3:12 pm ET

WASHINGTON—Planned Parenthood Federation of America will expand a telemedicine program to connect patients with birth-control and other services via smartphone, part of the organization’s effort to extend the reach of its health-care offerings that Republican policy makers have sought to weaken or destroy.

Planned Parenthood’s telemedicine app will be available in all 50 states by next year, up from 27 states and Washington, D.C., currently, officials said Wednesday.

The app, called Planned Parenthood Direct, lets patients use a smartphone to request birth control delivered to their door, obtain prescription treatment for urinary-tract infections or make an appointment at a Planned Parenthood clinic. The goal is partly to reach younger generations more familiar with mobile technology, as well as women in rural areas who may lack easy access to in-person services, the nonprofit organization said.

Expanding the app represents Planned Parenthood’s latest move to blunt efforts by the Republican-led states and the Trump administration to cut the organization’s funding.