Health clinics clarify credentials

10.22.09 / News / By Julia Nene

AAA Life Services, located on Wood Street, administer free pregnancy tests and offer counseling services for women. (Carly Masiroff / The Clarion Call)

CLARION, Pa., Oct. 18 – A particular debate has been simmering under the radar for some time on Clarion University’s campus. Students walk past the source of the debate on a daily basis.

It’s in the posters found on bulletin boards and in the women’s restroom stalls advertising free pregnancy screenings at AAA Life Services.

The debate is between AAA and the Feminist Majority Leadership Alliance. The two organizations met, along with Students 4 Life, Oct. 14 to discuss a possible compromise in altering the posters.

“The reason we wanted to change them was to add counseling services, but when you go in (to AAA) you sign a waiver saying they are only a counseling service,” said FMLA president Kelly Surgalski. “I don’t want to come off that AAA is the bad guy. I’m glad they met with FMLA and Students 4 Life and were open to discuss any questions we had for them.”

Surgalski wasn’t the only one to question the services available at women’s health clinics.

Nora Boedecker of the Feminist Majority Foundation works to shed light at crisis pregnancy centers (CPCs).

“CPCs use scare tactics and misinformation to manipulate women, pressuring them not to consider abortion or birth control.

Many claim that abortion leads to breast cancer, infertility, suicide, and that condoms will not protect you from HIV/AIDS or other sexually transmitted infections – all claims that have been disputed by studies conducted by the American Medical Association, American Psychological Association, and the World Health Organization,” said Boedecker in an e-mail.

“Until recently, these clinics received state and federal funding but it has been taken away,” said Allie McDonald, also of the Feminist Majority Foundation. “They are now predominantly funded by anti-abortion or evangelical organizations. Women deserve to hear the truth when exploring all of their options.”

These examples of advice are being offered to women, particularly those in college, all over the country.

“We went to a women’s conference last March in Washington D.C., and one of their biggest emphasis was on these women’s crisis pregnancy centers,” said Surgalski. “This one girl told us a story about how she went in to a center in the Midwest posing as a pregnant woman.

They gave her a test you can get at Wal-Mart, and the results showed positive, but the girl was certain she was not pregnant. She was told she needed to keep the baby. There was no other option, not even adoption, and that she needed to marry the father. They told her false information and advocated that marriage should be between a man and woman,” said Surgalski.

Representatives of the AAA Life Services in Clarion, however, did not hesitate to disclose what it had to offer.

“There are no medical personnel on staff,” said AAA Executive Director Diane Fagley. However, they have two full-time employees and one part-time employee.

AAA was established in 1988, and since then has expanded from providing self-administered pregnancy tests and peer consultations, to sexual abuse or misuse counseling. AAA has also gone into public schools in Clarion County to provide abstinence and character education to students in grades six through 12.

“The kids have responded favorably,” said Fagley. “Clarion Country used to have a higher teen pregnancy rate than the national average, and it’s lower now.”

Whether or not these students need to have signed permission slips to attend lessons given by AAA is at the discretion of each school district.

Teen pregnancy rates are lower than before in Clarion, but what about advice that AAA gives to college students?

“We talk about fetal development, abortion procedure and the long and short-term effects. In the short-term, chemical differences vary by the woman after having a surgical procedure. There can be bleeding, cramping or hemorrhaging. Everything can go according to plan, but even for a minor surgery, you can die,” said Fagley.

Effects are not always just physical, as Fagley explained further. Emotional damage after having an abortion can also be a factor.

“A lot of women will say if they have support from the father, but most relationships end anyhow. Each a reminder to the other, they want to move on. The younger you are, the harder it is to look past that moment. When you’re 30 or 40, you’ll remember you were pregnant,” said Fagley.

Fagley said that it is ultimately the individual’s decision.

“We consider it a privilege to serve anyone. We’re here to supply and provide help, be nonjudgmental and make referrals if we don’t have the answers,” said Fagley.
Most of the counseling seekers who come into AAA come for a long period of time. They counsel those who have had an abortion.

Adagio Health provides prenatal care, delivering 200 babies each year. (Carly Masiroff / The Clarion Call)

If college students are looking for medical services and not counseling, there are other options in Clarion.

Adagio Health offers gynecological and pregnancy care, which is confidential.

“What we’re best known for is birth control and routine gyno exams,” said Rose Schreckengost, manager and market leader for Adagio. “We have policies and procedures that are strictly enforced, and we provide options as a part of the federal requirements, with a seasoned staff.”

Adagio must abide by these policies because it operates on federal and state funding, which also allows services to be more affordable.

“We provide free and confidential STD tests paid for by the Department of Health for men and women. Men don’t realize they can come here for that,” said Schreckengost.
Adagio also offers the Select Plan for free services for those without health insurance.

“What’s most important is the training and accountability of our staff. They know what responsibilities are. Personal opinions never come into play – ever. It’s what’s best for patients,” said Schreckengost.

Adagio also offers referrals to SAFE, PASSAGES and AAA for maternity clothes and baby furniture.

Keeling Health Center offers various medical services for CUP students. (Carly Masiroff / The Clarion Call)

Keeling Health Center also provides medical services for women and men. Pap smears, pelvic and breast exams, STD tests and treatments and birth control can all be administered from Keeling.

“Birth control is in the $235 to $15 price range. We do offer the morning-after pill as well, but we don’t advertise for it because we don’t want to offend anyone,” said Director of Health, Wellness and Counseling Susan Bornak.

AIDS Alliance is an outside organization that comes into Keeling for HIV/AIDS testing.

“We give pregnancy tests. If it’s positive, we give three choices,” said Bornak. “We refer to Adagio, have them take prenatal vitamins and advise a diet without alcohol, drugs, even Tylenol, and give literature on adoption agencies.”

Bornak also said that if a student is unsure after becoming pregnant, Keeling refers her to the Department of Counseling in Egbert Hall.
“The majority keep the babies,” said Bornak.

The closest abortion clinics are in Erie, Pittsburgh and Youngstown.

“That makes it very difficult for people living in rural areas to go to a clinic because they have to sign a waiver, wait three days, then go back,” said Bornak.

Keeling is equipped with two full-time nurse practitioners, four registered nurses and two physicians, who are available three days a week.

“We are service-oriented. We leave the decision up to the student,” said Bornak.

Clarion fits the rural profile and the clinics and counseling services are interconnected.

“We don’t advocate sex. But if you’re going to have sex, we want it to be safe from both disease and pregnancy,” said Bornak.

Now that options that are available for sexually active men and women in Clarion have been explored, what about those AAA posters?

“We’re going to keep them the same,” said Diane Fagley.

Julia Nene was the news editor of The Call. She graduated in 2009.

Tags: AAA Life Services, Health, Local News, Top Story |