Choices Women’s Medical Center: Mission, History, and Comprehensive Health Services
Merle Hoffman founded Choices Women’s Medical Center in 1971 shortly after New York State made abortion legal two years before the historic Roe v. Wade Supreme Court decision that legalized abortion nationwide in 1973. Our name, “Choices,” stands for Creative Health Organization for Information, Counseling, and Educational Services. Starting from the Feminist Perspective of women having a degree of power in their medical treatment at a time when patients had no information or power in a medical setting with doctors who were mainly men, CHOICES is a “midwife” to the entire concept and field of “Women’s Health”.
Mission and Commitment
The Mission of Choices Women’s Medical Center is to offer all our patients the highest quality medical care in a warm, sensitive, compassionate and confidential setting and to give them the knowledge they need to make the best choices for themselves, with the most accurate fact-based information. Our mission and commitment to our patients spread across all borders, geographical as well as age, gender identity, nationality, and culture. What remains constant is the same commitment to our patients as our initial mission-demanded for our abortion care: to serve patients’ needs with compassion and understanding, with the highest level of skill and training, and to empower them with knowledge.
Comprehensive Medical and Reproductive Services
Women’s reproductive health is at the core of our services, including a full range of gynecological testing, treatment, and Well-Woman Care; birth control; abortion services to 24 weeks; and a complete prenatal program. Since its founding in 1971, CHOICES has developed many other services to meet the needs of the expanding communities it serves, including LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming, teenagers, and seniors. These programs include Counseling and HIV/STD Testing and Treatment and basic preventive care. Furthermore, Merle Hoffman developed one of the first Trans Care programs in the country in 2016.
CHOICES has always expanded to meet the needs of our patients, including a full range of reproductive health care that includes abortion services to 24 weeks of pregnancy, birth control, gynecology, prenatal care, counseling services, and Tele-Medicine. For younger patients, a Teen Program includes free pregnancy testing, specialized counseling, and other services.
Service Overview
| Service Category | Description of Care |
| Reproductive Health | Well-Woman Care, GYN testing, birth control, and prenatal programs. |
| Abortion Services | Provided up to 24 weeks of pregnancy. |
| Specialized Care | Trans Care, LGBTQ and gender-nonconforming services, Teen Program. |
| Prevention | HIV/STD testing, counseling, and basic preventive care. |
Professional Standards and Certifications
Choices Women’s Medical Center is licensed by the State of New York as an outpatient medical facility and meets its regulations for all healthcare providers. CHOICES is accredited by the AAAHC (American Association of Ambulatory Health Care), and repeatedly meets their highest level of standards. Additionally, Choices Medical is proud to announce our Women-Business Enterprise (WBE) Certification! This prestigious designation is awarded to businesses that are at least 51% owned and operated by women within their state, highlighting the dedication and leadership of women in business.
Community Outreach and Global Mission
Health education is an integral and important part of our mission, and CHOICES offers no-cost classes and workshops to public and private schools, community, and health organizations. To promote women’s health in the United States and abroad, Merle Hoffman founded the CHOICES Global Institute of Healing and Education, a charitable organization that raises public awareness about women’s health issues and provides support to underserved women and their families. She has also taken CHOICES’ mission and philosophy to Russia and South Africa.
Patient Privacy and Access
All services are completely confidential for patients of all ages, with no parental or partner consent or notification needed for any of them. Same-day or next-day appointments are available. We can sign up people for presumptive (emergency) Medicaid for same-day pregnancy-related services, and we take all insurances. Financial counselors are available to help you as we remain committed to fostering diversity and innovation while delivering exceptional care and services.