Harnessing one of the newest trends in communications, Planned Parenthood introduces Tech Support For Your Body™ via text message. This expansion of their already existing sex education hotlines allows users who send their questions to 53634 to receive a personalized response directly to their mobile device from a live, certified health educator.
The nonprofit reproductive health care provider, which also operates online and toll-free telephone hotlines, expanded its service to include text messaging because it makes comprehensive sexual health information even more accessible.
"Young people are searching for accurate information about their bodies. We answer hundreds of questions every day in our medical centers and through our hotlines. This accurate, timely information is the key to preventing unintended pregnancy and STIs (sexually transmitted infections) in our community," says Jon Dunn, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Orange and San Bernardino Counties, "and with the new text messaging service, we are giving young people better access to the information they need to make healthy decisions."
The agency's hotline program (877.4ME.2ASK) was launched in 1999, and an online hotline (www.plannedparenthoodCHAT.org) was added in 2006, serving more than 60,000 callers and chatters since their inception. The online and text hotlines operate from noon to midnight seven days a week and the toll-free hotline is open from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. (PST) Monday through Friday. All of the hotlines are available free of charge, but standard text messaging fees apply.
Planned Parenthood provides a full range of reproductive health care including cervical, breast and testicular cancer screenings; STI testing and treatment; contraception and family planning services; fertility evaluations; and prenatal care. It serves over 65,000 patients each year in 9 medical centers throughout Orange and San Bernardino Counties.
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