The satellite Planned Parenthood office in San Benito County will close its doors in downtown Hollister on Friday because the lease is up this year and the facility is “outdated,” according to administrators.
The clinic located on Seventh Street has “outdated plumbing” and lacks the “general electric infrastructure” necessary to install the computers, servers and generator needed to allow the site to transfer electronic medical records like all the other Planned Parenthood sites, according to Guadalupe Rodriguez, the director of public affairs for Planned Parenthood Mar Monte.
The lease at the site was up this year, but Rodriguez did not share the exact date, citing confidentiality agreements with the landlord. The center could not find a suitable replacement site in the county in time, Rodriguez said.
“We started looking, but we weren’t able to find a suitable location,” she said.
Planned Parenthood provides walk-in appointments for pregnancy testing; birth control; HIV and STD testing; emergency contraception; and cervical cancer screenings. It also provides abortion services, which has earned the organization a controversial name with pro-life groups across the nation.
“I think one other thing that’s of note is that – whether we like it or not – I think the clout of our name makes it a little bit harder for us to find places that will accept us,” Rodriguez said. “So I think that’s part of the challenge.”
Several medical sites in San Benito County provide similar services to Planned Parenthood. The Hollister Pregnancy Center on 483 Fifth St. provides pregnancy testing, STD testing and options counseling, but does not provide abortion services.
Hazel Hawkins’ Memorial Hospital provides a variety of women’s health services and can provide patients with abortion services at the discretion of a physician. The hospital’s Mabie Health Care Center – which provides obstetrics and gynecology services – will be adding additional hours to its schedule to accommodate the influx of patients, said Dr. Kevin Herrick, chief of staff for Hazel Hawkins Memorial Hospital.
Starting Sept. 8, the center will be open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. on Mondays and Wednesdays – an increase of four evening appointment hours a week from their previous 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. weekday hours.
“We’re very dismayed ourselves by the fact that we have to close a center but we realize that we have to close it,” Rodriguez said. “We’re not able to provide the highest care that we’re known for and that we strive to achieve.”
