Navigating Reproductive Health Care: Anti-Abortion Centers and Telehealth Access
Anti-abortion centers, or so-called “crisis pregnancy centers,” are facilities that present themselves as resources for people facing unplanned pregnancies, but in reality, exist to dissuade people from accessing abortion care. CAUTION: This Clinic Does Not Provide Abortion Care. These centers are typically managed and funded by organizations that oppose abortion in any and all circumstances, and they often use abortion stigma, medical disinformation, and deceptive practices as a way to dissuade people from accessing abortion care.
Accessing Safe Abortion Care Through Telehealth
In contrast to these centers, NYC Health + Hospitals provides telehealth abortion care, which offers medication by mail to eligible patients in New York City. With the Virtual ExpressCare telehealth service, patients in NYC can speak to a provider on demand via video or phone from the comfort of their own home. Patients considering abortion are assessed by a clinician and receive education about their options; if eligible, patients can receive medication by mail or schedule an in-person appointment. The service allows patients in NYC seeking abortion care to speak to a New York State-licensed health care professional on demand by video or phone for an assessment, counseling and access to medication if eligible.
Impact and Reach of Virtual Care
In its first year, the service has provided over 2,700 virtual visits and mailed over 800 medication abortion kits. The average wait time for a virtual visit is less than 7 minutes. This service has allowed people to access abortion care earlier in the pregnancy and without the same opportunity cost that a clinic appointment has. People deserve to access abortion care when and where they need it, and telehealth helps make that possible.
| Service Metric | Impact Data |
|---|---|
| Virtual Visits Provided | Over 2,700 |
| Medication Abortion Kits Mailed | Over 800 |
| Patient Satisfaction Rate | 90% |
| Average Wait Time | Less than 7 minutes |
Resources and Consultations at Pregnancy Centers
Some facilities, such as the Pregnancy Resource Center Medical Clinic, offer free and confidential services. Their professional, medical-grade lab quality pregnancy test can determine pregnancy at the first day after your first missed period. Should your test be positive, one of our caring medical professionals will conduct a limited ultrasound to confirm if you have a viable pregnancy and date fetal age. An ultrasound confirms a viable pregnancy and determines how far along you are. Additionally, the ultrasound will show how far along you are to determine what type of abortion you would choose. Clients will be protected from disclosure of information that violates the right to privacy except when required by law.
Comprehensive Reproductive Health Services
NYC Health + Hospitals offers a wide range of facility-based obstetric and gynecologic services, including primary care, family planning, abortion care, prenatal through delivery care, midwifery and referrals for doula services. The telehealth abortion service by NYC Health + Hospitals is based in and for New York City. Medication is mailed to New York City addresses only and is available to clinically eligible patients who are up to 10 weeks into their pregnancy. Health care is a human right and that includes reproductive health care.