Getting men on board: one facility’s approach
If the number of men on your patient rosters is low, take a look at the approach used by Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas. In the first year of its marketing initiative, the number of its male patients nearly doubled from 2% to 3.7% of total patients served, says Polin Barraza, director of clinic operation for the San Antonio-based agency.
Many federally and state-funded reproductive health programs are designed to serve women and do not offer male services, according to a 2002 analysis issued by the New York City-based Alan Guttmacher Institute.1 Women often begin seeing a heath care provider for routine reproductive health care services after they become sexually active, and they become linked to the health system when they are pregnant and giving birth. Men do not have a similar routine channel for obtaining sexual and reproductive health services, according to the analysis.1
Men are a challenge in general when it comes to seeking regular preventative care, observes Earnie Blackwell, RNC, director of patient care for Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South-Central Texas.
"They are even more fearful and embarrassed about sexual health care," says Blackwell. "We are trying to get the message out in our community via advertising and word-of-mouth that Planned Parenthood is for men, too."
What led the San Antonio agency to increase its marketing to men? Several factors played into the decision, says Blackwell. The agency was fielding calls from men seeking affordable health care in an environment that offered quality and confidential care. Clinicians were reporting that female patients were returning to the clinics with repeated sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Clinicians wanted to bring the male partner into the treatment picture, rather than simply sending medication with the women for her partner.
"We wanted to be proactive in our health care," notes Blackwell. "By educating men on birth control methods and STDs, we hoped to engage them in the family planning process and create support for their partner."
The agency now offers its male patients physical exams, testicular cancer screening with education on how to do a testicular self-exam, STD testing and treatment, HIV testing, family planning education, and partner/couple appointments, reports Rachel Goeres, MSN, RN, vice president for client services. It also has a referral system for vasectomy and other services outside its current clinical services menu.
"The response from agency staff has been very positive after an initial period of adjustment to implement the new protocols," she notes. "The staff sees firsthand the need and importance of providing health care to men."
What are some tips for initiating such a program? Goeres offers the following suggestions:
- Give your staff the training and support that any new program would require.
- Realize and anticipate that any type of change can be stressful.
- Allow people to work through the changes and be successful.
To get the word out on male services, external advertising efforts now include advertising that focuses on men only and advertising that focuses on couples, states Sandy Ward, marketing and communications manager. The agency uses general services advertising on two popular pop/rock stations. Estimated costs for marketing male health care services in 2002 was $3,600, about 10% of the agency’s marketing budget, she says.
"We feature STD testing and treatment for couples in print ads, which appear in our city’s alternative and college newspapers," says Ward. "We have advertised Planned Parenthood — for men too’ on the web site of a popular rock station, which has a predominately male listenership."
Clinic waiting rooms at the agency now feature a listing of health care services, including male exams, says Ward. Information on male services is included on all printed educational materials, brochures, and fliers found in the literature racks.
"We strive to make our clinics inviting to men," Ward states. "Our after-hours phone messages are inclusive of the needs of men; the opening line of the after-hours greeting says, Thank you for calling Planned Parenthood — providers of high-quality health care for women and men.’"
Staff members routinely insert promotional male services fliers in patient re-supply pharmacy bags. The fliers promote male exams and testing and STD treatment. To overcome the stereotype that family planning centers only are for women, the agency now uses the tagline, "Planned Parenthood: It’s Not Just a Girl Thing."
The message about male services is getting out, reports Ward. "We conducted a male patient survey last year," she states. "Of the 99 respondents, 88 were new patients. This is a healthy sign that our outreach efforts are working."
(Editor’s note: Visit the Contraceptive Technology Update web site, www.contraceptiveupdate.com, to view the male patient services survey developed by Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South-Central Texas.)
Reference
1. Alan Guttmacher Institute. In Their Own Right: Addressing the Sexual and Reproductive Health Needs of American Men. New York: 2002.
Resource
• For more information on the Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas program, contact: Sandy Ward, Marketing and Communications Manager, Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas, 104 Babcock Road, San Antonio, TX 78201. Tele-phone: (210) 736-2244. Fax: (210) 736-0011. E-mail: [email protected]. Web: www.plannedparenthood.org.
If the number of men on your patient rosters is low, take a look at the approach used by Planned Parenthood of San Antonio and South Central Texas. In the first year of its marketing initiative, the number of its male patients nearly doubled from 2% to 3.7% of total patients served.
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