MISSISSIPPI — “You can get this service, you can get this service, you can get this service!” the Plan A team chants, imitating Oprah Winfrey's iconic “You've got a gift!” They shouted in unison. From her favorite episode.
The reality is that everyone at Plan A Health receives the gift of providing free, high-quality care to our patients.
Plan A provides reproductive and primary care health throughout the Mississippi Delta, a region with historically poor health and low economic status. Their small team operates a mobile medical unit with two exam rooms, driven from city to city by truck driver Antoinette Roby. Since its launch in 2018, Plan A has expanded to include pharmacies, mail order prescriptions, contraceptive options, prenatal and postnatal care for people with HIV, telehealth for family planning, and more. The company also employs nurses who patients can call or text with questions directly.
Although many initiatives have been created in Mississippi to address health disparities and work to increase access to care, the state still needs to take appropriate health measures. Mississippi is one of the last states to consider expanding Medicaid. The state health department reported an increase in infant mortality in 2021, making Mississippi the state with the highest number of infant deaths in the nation.
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Plan A's brick-and-mortar location is located in a small town in the Delta, in an unassuming building off the main road that once housed a medical clinic. Their next goals include expanding into rural Georgia, which has health disparities similar to the Mississippi Delta.
“It's really gratifying to see the growth. It's so great,” said Plan A CEO Dr. Caroline Weinberg.
Weinberg is the only non-Mississippi native on the team. New Yorkers founded Plan A and hired people from the communities Plan A serves. As a result, he built trusted relationships throughout the Delta and more than doubled his patient volume in his first three years.
“If you trust your community, they will understand that you know what they need and that the services they provide for your community are so important,” she said. I did. “And we make sure that people in the community are able to provide those services.”
The people she has hired are also prominent local residents, like Desiree Norwood, the mayor of her hometown of Sunflower, Mississippi. Norwood said people will be excited when the mobile medical unit arrives in Sunflower because of Plan A's reputation.
“A lot of organizations come into the community and do assessments and research, but then what happens? They leave,” she said. “In fact, we were able to close a lot of the gaps and alleviate some of the barriers that they face.”
Norwood said a lot of the trust building happened because the team lives in the area they serve. They endure the same barriers to success and continue to stay in the Delta to improve conditions. Norwood has been known to use his personal vehicle to visit patients after hours, asking for emergency contraceptives or questions about their general health. The mayor of a small town said there is no such thing as a “9 to 5” for her.
“This is not a job, it's a passion,” Norwood said.
All Plan A employees shared the same sentiment. Robbie told me about the time he followed up with a patient whose blood pressure was too high and asked him to seriously consider suggestions for lifestyle changes. A few months later, the patient's wife approached Robbie and thanked him for the conversation. Her husband listened, made changes, and her health improved.
Roby said many uninsured people neglect to see a doctor, and some don't know what to say or ask when they meet with medical staff.
“We have to chew on it and give them more understanding,” she said. “It provides a higher level of patient care.”
Roby grew up in the Delta and said he is more motivated to learn about health conditions. The mobile clinic driver said parents are eager to learn about contraceptive options for young people, as well as prenatal and postnatal care options from trusted physicians.
Robbie said working at Plan A means a lot to her personally. She sees the impact of her health disparities on her neighbors and hopes for better outcomes. Too often, she said, people in the Delta region's access to quality care has been ignored.
“We never want anyone to have to choose between taking care of their family and getting the health care they deserve,” Roby said.
Plan A complements other affordable health options in the area, but it has a few unique features. Plan A staff say they want to make sure patients have care options. Health centers offer a variety of contraceptives and contraceptives for those who wish to access assistance. Weinberg said many women stop using birth control because of side effects and the high expense of making more appointments or purchasing new options.
Plan A allows patients to request the contraceptive pill that is right for them.
Telvin Harrington, Plan A's community health worker, said having direct access to health care providers is “a big deal.” He said the community embraces their team not only because they really care, but because they can empathize with the situation. Patients don't have to wait 60 to 90 days for an appointment, and although transportation barriers persist in the region, the mobile clinic makes scheduled stops so residents know what days of the week they can receive treatment. can do.
“It's important to be able to go to people who look like you and relate to you and have meaningful relationships with them,” he says. “I come from a low-income family, and not everyone in my family who gets sick can afford medical care. So just being able to meet the people who can most empathize with my situation makes me feel better.”
Through grant support from Organon, Direct Relief will provide $800,000 to four clinics, including Plan A, which aims to address the drivers of unintended pregnancy in the United States through a community-informed and collaborative approach. was awarded.
