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Greene County Family Planning turns 35

By Melanie Lekocevic

CATSKILL — Greene County Family Planning is celebrating its 35th anniversary, and over the years the group has seen its share of change — the sexual revolution in the 70s, HIV and AIDS in the 80s, and the rise of sexually transmitted diseases. But through the decades the organization has adapted to the changing times.

“There was no facility in Greene County back then to care for the reproductive health of women who didn't have health insurance, so our organization was created to meet those needs,” said Program Administrator Barbara Caldara.

The group was created in 1973 by Barbara Bird, a nurse practitioner who worked alongside the Bureau of Women's Health and wrote grant applications to get the money to support it. At the time, Greene County Family Planning was fully state-funded, but also relied on county support for things like office space.

Today, the organization's services have expanded, and include reproductive health care for both women and men. The group's medical director is Dr. Lawrence Perl, a local OB/GYN, and the nurse practitioners who practice at Greene County Family Planning provide complete physical exams, birth control, breast exams, HIV testing, Pap tests, pregnancy tests and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

“We provide a full range of reproductive health services,” Caldara said. “Our goal is to reduce the number of unintended pregnancies, STDs and HIV, and we want to help women have healthy birth outcomes.”

Educating the community about the importance of reproductive health, and how it can be protected, is another key goal of the organization.

“We try to teach people how to reduce the risks of unintended pregnancies, including abstinence, which is the only 100 percent method,” said Health Educator Cathy Start. “We teach them how to reduce the risk of disease, the importance of communicating with their partner, and the connection between drugs and alcohol and the increased risk of unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.”

The group also encourages its patients to wait until they are ready to start a family. “Have a child when you are ready to have a child,” Start advised. “If you are not choosing abstinence, use effective contraception.”

Over the years, staff at Greene County Family Planning have seen a shift in the reproductive health care needs of its patients. Back when the group first began, it mostly provided contraception and pregnancy testing to younger women who were uninsured. Now, its clientele is aging and the staff is doing more and more breast exams and mammogram referrals, and in some, they have diagnosed cancer.

“Over the last 35 years, we have changed from a very simplistic modus operandi to a more complex, comprehensive health care service,” Caldara said. “As the population is aging, we are seeing teenagers who started with us moving into menopause. Our focus has changed from just younger people who needed pregnancy tests and contraception to more older women, and we have identified breast and cervical cancer, and other health conditions.”

However, their goal remains the same — to provide quality reproductive health care to both women and men at an affordable rate. The practice accepts Medicaid and most major health insurance plans, and clients without health insurance can pay on a sliding scale basis. Some eligible patients are also referred to the state's Family Planning Benefit Program, which provides family planning to low-income individuals.

“We never turn people away because they can't pay. We always find some way to help them out,” Caldara said.

Greene County Family Planning is holding an open house from noon to 6 p.m. Wednesday, when people can visit the offices and learn about the services that are available.

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