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51 °F Forecast | Road Cams Saturday, May 7, 2005 Today's News | Shop Our Valley | Tempo | Health | Community | Home Delivery | Contact Us SECTIONS Home Page Local News Sports Business Obituaries Life Opinion Tempo AP News Weather Classified Archives Site Map SPECIAL SECTIONS Since We Asked Outdoor Journal Menu Guide How To Guide Health Readers' Choice Real Estate Showcase Real Estate Guide Joy Magazine Homelife Magazine Wedding Guide Passport to the Rogue Valley SHOP OUR VALLEY AutoFinder HomeFinder JobFinder Classified Place an ad TOP JOBS EXTRA Ashland News NIE Personals Movie Times TV Times E The People Volunteer Moving here? eSouthernOregon CUSTOMER SERVICE FAQ's Advertise with us Home Delivery Employment Contact Us Media Kit Oregon Road Conditions & Cams Email Story to a Friend May 6, 2005 Linda Starr, clinic manager for Medford�s Planned Parenthood, looks out from the reception desk at the organization�s new offices in downtown Medford. Mail Tribune / Jim Craven New home for Planned Parenthood By JONEL ALECCIA Mail Tribune The stylish waiting room was all but empty in Planned Parenthood’s new Medford office Thursday, but staff there assured visitors the lull was only temporary. In fact, the center at 125 S. Central Ave. has been bustling with clients since organizers quietly opened the doors April 19. An open house on Friday will welcome dignitaries and invited guests to view the space that’s more than three times the size of previous digs. "Staff called the other day to say the waiting room is full, the counseling rooms are full, the exam rooms are full," said Kellie Shoemaker, Planned Parenthood’s Eugene-based vice president of public affairs. "They were really excited." The new spaces aren’t nearly as full as they were at Planned Parenthood’s old site on Towne Center Drive, where overcrowding often forced clients to wait in the parking lot. Advertisement Aid provided by the family planning agency increased dramatically in recent years, spiking from about 14,000 services in 2003 to more than 16,000 in 2004, Shoemaker said. The $200,000 Medford expansion was accompanied by the opening of a first-ever clinic in Ashland in February. Organizers aimed to serve a growing number of clients who live in Ashland and Talent. That move generated some concern from other providers of family planning services, including Southern Oregon University. Officials were worried that Planned Parenthood might divert valuable federal funds. No such concern exists in Medford, however. In fact, Rogue Community College officials welcome the nearby clinic, said Mary Louise Doran, executive dean of the RCC Riverside campus. "Actually, it’s a very good addition to the neighborhood," said Doran, noting that RCC offers no health care to students, including some 6,000 in Medford. "They can come down here, go to school and get their services," she said. The new Medford site features more exam rooms and counseling rooms as well as the ample, comfortable waiting room. Staff members benefit from having a lunch room and everyone seems more comfortable with increased elbow room, Shoemaker said. Planned Parenthood provides family planning services for women and men, including birth control advice, exams and supplies. The new site also houses the agency’s Teen Theater, education and public relations staff members. Protesters holding posters of aborted fetuses stood outside the Medford site earlier this week, opposing Planned Parenthood’s abortion referral services. No protesters were there Thursday. "It’s important for people to remember we’re doing more inside every day to prevent unintended pregnancies than they’re doing standing on the sidewalk," Shoemaker said. After the flurry of expansions and openings, which include others across Oregon, the agency is ready to simply serve clients, Shoemaker said. "I think we’re good for a while. We’re not in expansion mode anymore." The clinic will continue to offer walk-in services on Wednesdays, but organizers are trying to encourage clients to make appointments, especially for services such as annual exams. Clinic hours are 8:30 a.m. to 6 p.m. Monday through Thursday and 8:30 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. on Friday. For information, call 773-8285. Reach reporter JoNel Aleccia at 776-4465, or e-mail [email protected] Mail Tribune Home | Local News | Sports | Business | Obituaries | Life | Opinion AP News | Archives | Site Map | Community | Classified Copyright © 1997-2005 Mail Tribune, Inc. All rights reserved. Privacy Policy | Terms & Conditions | Website Feedback Free Music Downloads Conference Calls - $50/Month Home Security Systems Trunks, Footlocker, Trunk, Footlockers home equity loans helzberg diamonds Distance Education Diamonds Paris Hilton Online Poker Auto Insurance Mesothelioma Slippers Student Loans Tatoo tcg student loan consolidation teleconferencing Website Design & Marketing Memory Foam Mattress w2 forms Tatoos Mortgage Calculator Free Home-Loan Referrals Payday Loans Advertisement s