An Evaluation of Family Planning Services in Southwest Virginia

Abstract

The goal of this study is to assess the quality of family planning services in rural areas of Virginia. Through interviews with the public and not-for profit clinics, I collected various facts and through client survey, I obtained women's perceptions and feeling about the services provided to them. The goal was to reconcile responses wherever possible, and furthermore, identify differences between facts provided by the clinics and perceptions of clients. From the client surveys, I found that the majority of women are satisfied with the family planning services. Moreover, Appalachian women report higher satisfaction with the family planning services than non-Appalachian women. However, accessibility remains one of the major problems and obstacles to the family planning services. Women that report long waiting time and lack of transportation also have lower satisfaction scores with the services. From qualitative interviews, it is apparent that staff is doing a good job at assisting rural Appalachian women. However, as in client survey, staff reported problems with access to family planning services, such as transportation, unawareness of women of existing services, financial difficulties, and the need of more days and hours of clinic operation.