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Outreach, Research, and Education

CHOICES Is Everywhere!

Its involvement with patients is high and widespread, going way far beyond the delivery of the highest level of health care into the minds, hearts, and lives of its patients and the community it serves. As an organization it is committed to treatment, research, educational outreach, and bridging societal and cultural gaps through compassionate, concerned, and informed health care.

clinical studies

Studies

Choices Women’s Medical Center has recently participated in a research study that ended in May 2017: the TelAbortion Study. The purpose of the study was to evaluate a service through which women can obtain medical abortion pills by mail without coming in person to the clinic and is evaluated via videoconference. The patient obtained an ultrasound and other tests, at facilities near her home, before and after the procedure. The study used the same medication that is used for all medical abortions (medication abortion) at CHOICES.

The purpose of the study was to improve access to abortion services for women who may find it challenging to come to clinics, due to distance, the costs of travel, the need for childcare, lost wages, or for other reasons.

Committed to being at the forefront of women’s health care, Choices Women’s Medical Center has participated in national and international research studies throughout its 45-year history. At this time, we are involved in an international study (in conjunction with the Czech Republic, India, and Spain) on the use of Dilapan, Dilapan-S/Dilasoft osmotic dilators, which are products used to prepare the cervix prior to surgical abortion. Professor Janesh Gupta of the University of Birmingham, UK is directing this study in the US, which is oriented toward analyzing the number of hours required for sufficient dilation by the Dilapan product available in the US.

Conducted by independent researcher Robin H. Pugh Yi, Ph.D., president of Akeso Consulting in Vienna, Virginia, the study is called Abortionomics: When Choice Is a Necessity, The Impact of Recession on Abortion. The analysis was commissioned by Merle Hoffman, founder, and president of Choices Women’s Medical Center, after hearing anecdotal information from abortion patients that today’s economic hardships were a large factor in women’s decisions to have abortions. The findings were presented by Hoffman and Pugh Yi at the National Press Club in Washington D.C. on Jan. 17, 2011.

Outreach and Educational Research

Educating the public about women’s health has always been integral to the mission of Choices Women’s Medical Center. From community centers to health fairs, high schools and colleges, embassies, and human services organizations, CHOICES provides accurate and up-to-date information on a variety of topics and advocacy to underserved communities throughout the five boroughs of New York, Nassau, and Suffolk. Our team of Outreach Specialists offers accurate, honest, and relevant support services information each time they visit communities. CHOICES is known for its accurate, interactive, and non-judgmental health and sex/sexuality-related workshops.

If you are interested in hosting any of these CHOICES’ Workshops, please contact our Outreach and Education Team by calling 718-349-9100 ext.119 or emailing [email protected] for more information.

Feedback from Health Educator located in Elmhurst, Queens:

“Kelly and her team from Choices Women’s Medical Center are an asset to our school community. I’ve scheduled presentations for Birth Control, Healthy Relationships, and STIs every semester for the past 4 years. My students truly enjoy Kelly’s visits and the information she presents is invaluable to my student’s health and lives. A number of my students have taken advantage of the services at Choices Women’s Medical Center because of their professionalism, convenient location, and free services. In addition, these presentations do a great job at supplementing NYC health curriculum for 9-12 grades.”

community outreach

Workshops

Will my birth control cause me to gain weight? What is the difference between a male and female condom? What happens if I forget to take one of my birth control pills? What types of long-term birth control are available to me? Each birth control workshop answers these questions and more. Choosing the best birth control is a very personal decision. Every person is different, with different preferences and needs. Our teams of specialists describe in detail the most current birth control options available, with honesty, accuracy and openness. This workshop gives participants useful information about birth control effectiveness, the pros and cons of each type, and helps them decide what method might be right for them. It clears up confusion, misinformation and misconceptions about birth control.
The CHOICES STI workshop gives detailed information about the most common sexually transmitted infections, how they spread, the importance of testing and prevention. It gives detailed information about safer sex practices that prevent the spread of STIs.
Are you happy in your relationship? Does your partner treat you as an equal and respect you? Does your partner act jealous and get mad if you want to spend time with others? Relationships can but do not have to be sexual, but they should make you feel comfortable, secure and respected. In this workshop, CHOICES' Outreach specialists help you explore what makes a relationship healthy, the signs of an unhealthy relationship, and suggest where to go to get help if you or someone you know is experiencing partner abuse or violence within an intimate relationship. Everyone deserves to be in a relationship that is based upon mutual respect, on trust, on honesty, that is supportive and uplifting, that makes you happy, secure and feel safe. This workshop saves lives.

CHOICES Outreach reviews the various pregnancy options available at CHOICES – including abortion, adoption coordination, and our Prenatal Program that includes access to midwife services. We discuss the history of reproductive healthcare and how CHOICES has advocated on behalf of women for over 45 years.

Recent studies have revealed a national trend among seniors of more active sex lives and, at the same time, an increase in the number of reported cases of sexually transmitted infections and diseases among those aged 55 and older. Education is the key to slowing the spread of STIs in the senior community. Infections are climbing at an alarming rate, and this CHOICES’ workshop informs and educates seniors about testing, prevention and treatments. It explains in honest and easy to understand terms that safe sex is vitally important, no matter your age. Each workshop includes Q&A, and is comprehensive, lively, full of humor, refreshingly – and sometimes brutally – honest, and often quite poignant. Choices Women’s Medical Center has launched this new workshop because there is a real need to get no-nonsense sex education to our senior population.

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