ELIZABETH, NJ — Today, Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey held a grand opening for a new, state-of-the-art health center in Elizabeth, NJ. The new health center is conveniently located in downtown Elizabeth to serve the reproductive health needs of the local community. Planned Parenthood delivers vital reproductive health care, sex education, and information to women, men and young people in underserved communities throughout the state.

“We are excited to open this brand new health center to enhance our ability to serve patients in Elizabeth,” said Triste Brooks, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Northern, Central, and Southern New Jersey (PPNCSNJ). “Planned Parenthood is here to support the community by providing quality reproductive health care by trusted providers.”

Planned Parenthood is the most trusted provider of reproductive health care in the U.S., staffed by skilled professionals dedicated to offering all people high-quality, affordable medical care. One in five American women choose Planned Parenthood for health care at least once in a lifetime.

PPNCSNJ’s health centers provide a wide range of safe, reliable health care — and the majority is preventive care, which helps prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) through testing and treatment, and screen for cervical, breast, and other cancers. Caring physicians, nurse practitioners, and other staff take time to talk with patients, encouraging them to ask questions in an environment that New Jerseyans have grown to trust.

“Planned Parenthood clinics like this one offer an array of vital reproductive health care services – from well-woman check-ups to birth control to abortion. We need them now more than ever because of threats at the federal level,” said Jackie Cornell, Principal Deputy Commissioner with the New Jersey Department of Health, who spoke personally about the lifeline Planned Parenthood provided her as a young woman. “For many women, publicly-funded family planning services are often the only option. They are also the gateway to other services – such as treatment for high blood pressure, diabetes, substance abuse and mental health issues. A woman’s annual visit may be the only interaction she has with a health care provider in a given year.”

The Elizabeth health center – like all PPNCSNJ health centers – is currently providing free STI testing throughout June and July. Interested individuals can walk in to their nearest health center or visit www.ppncsnj.org for more information. PPNCSNJ health centers are able to provide affordable and free services, in part, because of state family planning funding recently restored by Gov. Phil Murphy after nearly a decade of cuts under the previous administration.

For photos of the grand opening event, visit https://www.facebook.com/PPNCSNJ/.