Newfoundland and Labrador’s local sexual health centre, Planned Parenthood, has joined Tiktok and is enthusiastic about supporting students to promote sexual health, choice, and inclusivity.
Planned Parenthood offers various services such as medical clinics for sexual health-related needs such as IUD and Nexplanon insertions, routine screenings (i.e. pap tests), and referrals for ultrasounds, fertility clinics, and OBGYN care without previous referral from a family doctor.
“We try to be as accessible as possible,” says Planned Parenthood NL’s Wellness Coordinator, Nicole Boland.
On its website, Planned Parenthood emphasizes that its services are available to anyone regardless of: age, race, ethnicity, gender, gender identity, gender expression, socioeconomic status, physical or mental ability, sexual orientation, religion, religious creed, national or social origin, marital status, family status and political opinion.
The centre offers various free services and products that are accessible at any time.
This includes free pads (including masculine styles), tampons, condoms, lube, rapid HIV tests, needles for Hormone Replacement Therapy (HRT), pregnancy tests, and information pamphlets.
Planned Parenthood also sells various methods of birth control for cheaper if an individual doesn’t have health insurance, and “we sell Planned B for $20 and accept cash, credit, and e-transfer”, said Boland.
Individuals can also ship gender-affirming products and sex toys to the centre if they are not comfortable shipping them to a personal address– send an email, and Planned Parenthood will let you know once it arrives.
“This is community outreach at such a radical level, and I love it,” says Boland.
50 years in NL
Planned Parenthood has been working in NL since 1972 and avidly promotes positive sexual health and 2SLGBTQIA+ inclusion through education, community partnership, information and services within an environment that supports and respects individual choice.
Tiktok is one of the centre’s newest ventures, with an audience of over 40 thousand followers.
Boland is the primary content creator who posts regular content about sexual health, Planned Parenthood’s resources, and informative react videos– intending to normalize universal human experiences.
“In the past 20 months, Tiktok has gotten bigger than we ever anticipated… entering a space as low barrier as Tiktok and talking about normal universal human experiences helps normalize and start conversations. For example, normalizing STIs.”
The public’s response to the centre’s social media presence has been very positive and has contributed to the centre’s recent busyness.
Don’t hesitate to reach out
Beyond the centre’s free services, Planned Parenthood encourages individuals to reach out.
“If anything not right regarding sexual health and you need an opinion or if you just have a question, give us a call,” says Boland.
“If you are a student on another campus that’s not in St. John’s, we offer telehealth appointments. So if you want birth control, an IUD prescription, or have an infection, call us”.
However, individuals can also DM Planned Parenthood on Instagram, Tiktok, and Facebook, or email, if they are uncomfortable with calling.
“We try to be as low-barrier as possible,” Boland says.
Boland also recommended Planned Parenthood’s 2SLGBTQIA+ Warm Line, a peer support service run by and for 2SLGBTQIA+ people in Newfoundland and Labrador that launched in 2020 to create a sense of connection, community, and hope for its callers.
The centre offers a variety of programs such as Teen Healthy Relationships and Camp Eclipse, which students can avail of, in addition to Harm Reduction Saturdays– a good day to come in if one is nervous about going to a Planned Parenthood.
Planned Parenthood is located at 47 St. Clare Avenue, St. John’s.
Call (709) 579-1009 for more information and find Planned Parenthood NL on social media:
- @plannedparenthoodnl on TikTok
- Planned Parenthood NL on Facebook & Twitter
- @plannedparenthoodnlshc on Instagram.