Planned Parenthood Arizona

As a Patient Navigator, I deal with many different patients from all walks of life, and everyone has a story. Lack of access to abortion healthcare causes health disparities for the community, affecting people who are already at a disadvantage for the essential things needed for life and positive health outcomes. The overturning of ROE didn’t just cause devastation on women and people around the world, but also devastating trauma to the healthcare professional that provide abortion care. One patient traveled out of state for an abortion and suffered complications upon returning home to Arizona. After several trips to the ER, the patient needed to return to a PPAZ clinic for a problem visit. The patient said her employer wasn’t understanding of her need to travel out of state for the abortion and terminated her. The resulting financial stress left her at a disadvantage to travel from Sedona to Phoenix...about 250 miles and two hours round trip. The APN helped her with an appointment, provided her a gift card for $120 to offset gas expenses, and got her screened for Justice Funds. Then the APN made herself available at the center when the patient arrived to hold her hand and assure her everything would be ok and that she was in good hands. Being a patient navigator is about more than just arranging travel and taking care of a patient’s physical needs. It’s about establishing a trusting partnership with the patient to assure them that they are not alone in this journey.