Recognizing these anxieties, Planned Parenthood is stepping up to bridge the gap between that first test and a patient’s eventual OB/GYN by introducing early prenatal care at seven of its health centers across Tampa Bay starting today, April 1.
Dr. Robyn Schickler, Chief Medical Officer of Planned Parenthood of Southwest and Central Florida (PPSWCF), emphasized the organization’s commitment to comprehensive reproductive health care.
“Often when people think of ‘Planned Parenthood’ they think about birth control, but we provide a full spectrum of reproductive health care services,” Schickler told Creative Loafing Tampa Bay. “Our patients know they can rely on us for expert, affordable care for their sexual and reproductive health needs—and now that also includes early prenatal care.”
With Florida ranking 50th out of 52 states and territories in adequate prenatal care, according to the March of Dimes, this expansion is not just timely—it’s necessary.
“We have patients in the community who have significant difficulty finding an OB/GYN for even routine prenatal care, and that has only become more difficult in recent years,” Dr. Schickler added. “We’re here to fill that gap.”
The early prenatal services will include initial lab work, symptom management, and ultrasounds throughout the first 12 weeks of pregnancy. This allows patients the critical time needed to establish care with a long-term OB/GYN and ensure a healthy start for both parent and baby. The launch follows a stream of new services, including vasectomy care, IUD sedation, and infertility care.
Planned Parenthood’s new prenatal services will be available at the following seven locations in or near the Tampa Bay area:
- St. Petersburg 33 6th St. S, St. Petersburg
- Tampa 8068 N 56th St., Tampa
- Lakeland 2250 E Edgewood Dr., Lakeland
- Sarasota 736 Central Ave., Sarasota
- Naples 1425 Creech Rd., Naples
- Fort Myers 6418 Commerce Park Dr., Fort Myers
- Kissimmee 610 Oak Commons Blvd.
“We will provide the referral at the very first visit so that the patient has time to establish care with an OB/GYN by their second trimester,” Schickler explained. “In addition to providing our patients with a referral letter, we will provide records of all their visits, labs or tests that were performed, and a list of OB/GYNs in the community for them to choose from.”
The expansion comes as new data highlights the growing crisis in prenatal and obstetric care access in Florida. A recent report from the Institute for Women’s Policy Research found that 58% of Floridians are worried about access to prenatal care, while 59% have general concerns about OB/GYN access—both figures being the highest in the country.
The Journal of the American Medical Association Network recently found that, after the Dobbs decision, the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that overturned Roe v. Wade, removing federal protections for abortion rights, states with the most restrictive reproductive health policies saw a 4.2% decrease in OB/GYNs per 100,000 reproductive-aged women.
The impact of inadequate prenatal care is dire.
According to a report from NBC, the odds of experiencing a late-stage pregnancy loss are nearly three times higher in the South, with key contributing factors including a low supply of midwives and OB/GYNs, disproportionately high maternal mortality rates for Black women, and a high percentage of births where mothers received inadequate prenatal care.
Planned Parenthood’s decision to introduce prenatal services in Tampa Bay aims to address these systemic gaps by providing accessible, compassionate, and early-stage care. By offering a direct path from that first pregnancy test to proper medical care, Planned Parenthood hopes to alleviate some of the stress and uncertainty that often accompanies early pregnancy.
“We are committed to keeping our high-quality care affordable. While this care is typically covered by insurance, for those who are un- or under-insured, pricing varies based on need,” said Dr. Schickler. “Planned Parenthood is known for our compassionate, high-quality, affordable services, something particularly important for already marginalized populations who experience challenges finding care as a result of systemic barriers.”
For those in need of immediate prenatal care, appointments can be scheduled at any of the seven locations. To make an appointment, visit plannedparenthood.org or call 1-800-230-PLAN (7526).
UPDATED 04/02/25 3:53 p.m. Corrected to show that prenatal services are available at seven locations.
Subscribe to Creative Loafing newsletters.
Follow us: Google News | NewsBreak | Reddit | Instagram | Facebook | BlueSky
This article appears in Mar 27 – Apr 2, 2025.