Womankind: A Medical Center for Everyone 

BY MAGGIE OLIVE KLEIN
KONKLIFE STAFF WRITER AND EDITOR 

Located at 1511 Truman Avenue, Womankind is a non-profit medical center serving teens, women, and men. Womankind provides a bunch of different services, regardless of age and stage of well-being, including family planning, gynecological care, menopausal support, chronic illness management, and non-emergency convenient care. 

Womankind began 20 years ago, and at that time, they worked off of a business model being “women helping women”. In 2001, they weren’t able to accept insurance, so 50% of the women coming in were paying full price for their 30 minute appointment, a comprehensive visit that evaluated every aspect of the woman, mind body and soul. These women’s visits were helping to offset the cost of patients that were coming in on a sliding scale basis, which circles back to their foundation of women helping women. Flash forward 20 years, and the business is still built on that belief, but they are able to accept insurance now, too!

They are partnered  with the Monroe County Health Department, and have a lot of programs in place, including one that provides family planning to teens and women within the age group of 13-26, called Title X, a national program that allows confidential family planning visits. Cali Roberts, Executive Director of Womankind, says, “We have a lot of high school students that come to us to get birth control. We always encourage parental involvement with teens, but sometimes its just not feasible, depending on certain family situations. So, when they come to us in confidence, we council them and make sure that they are going on birth control for the right reasons, and educate them before they go on it.” She goes on to say that the education Womankind provides these young women with is valuable, and these high school students end up becoming their college students, and then they come back empowered with taking agency in their own healthcare. Roberts says, “Its so rewarding to see how our patients have matured so beautifully just in the time they have been working with us.”

For their adult program, Womankind uses private funding, and have partnered with many giving foundations in town. They use a sliding scale system in order to provide care at the lowest possible rates. In addition, they have an onsite laboratory for their patients, which enables them to get bloodwork done at low pricing, as well as an onsite ultrasound. Roberts says, “We also have a primary care practitioner, so we are able to provide great service that not only includes gynecology, but primary care as well. Patients are able to have a relationship with a practitioner who knows about all of their conditions, and can see them as a whole being, rather than just a woman in need of gynecological needs.” The services provided at Womankind are unique, personal, and low-priced. Thank you, Womankind!

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