Planned Parenthood

Today I took my niece (19) to planned parenthood to see a doctor about birth control before she heads off to college. The office was easy to find. The parking garage was terrible but we were able to easily find street parking. The offices were clean and the girls up front were super friendly and polite. I dropped my niece off to fill out her paperwork while I found parking in the street. By time I got the baby out of the car and up the elevator they had already called her in for a sample. She was taken back 5 min before her appt time, which was nice. After exam, some tests and talking over options, my niece popped out to ask my opinion. The dr patiently waited at the counter as we discussed what was a good plan for her. Because of the type of birth control she picked the appt did take 2 hrs but I don’t blame that on over booking, more so that the doctor and nurses really wanted her to understand her options as well as expectations of what was about to happen. We really felt this was a great experience.

I made my appointment 3 weeks ago, I called today to verify my appointment for this Saturday and they couldn’t find any of my information even though I have been to locations within their region in the past. They told me maybe you called the wrong number like I imagined the entire appointment. When I tried to make another appointment they didn’t have anything available until three weeks from now. I’m bummed out and I hate this location.

No ! Just no! I had no problem with the wait time because i got the earliest appointment as soon as they opened the office. And i went on a tuesday. I only waited like 5 – 7 min until they called me in. BUT! It was my first ever gyno appointment in my life. Now i don’t know who my doctor was i forgot her name. Shes Asian. She was so damn rude. I told her its my first time. She didnt explain shit. Thats #1. #2 she was so SO aggressive when checking me. She rushed so much. My whole check up took maybe like 3 minutes. Thats how much she rushed me. I went it not just for a check up but an important issue i was experiencing. She said nothing to me throughout the process. She didnt tell me if im okay or if everything looks good. When checking my breats, (remember its my 1^st time) she yelled at me saying «OPEN THE GOWN I CANT SEE UR BREASTS» my hands were raised so the gown was closing by its self. Then she yelled saying «OKAY THATS ENOUGH YOU CAN CLOSE UR BREASTS I DONT NEED TO SEE THEM!!!) which is funny because she didnt even tell me shes done checking me. All in all, she made me feel like shit, she hurt me (physically, down there), and she embarrassed me by all the yelling. And to top it off, didnt explain crap to me. Even Though i told her its my first time. I would like to know if at least everything looked okay or not. Any red flags or anything? I don’t know how or why she still works there. She is so not a professional. I regret coming here and my advice is either avoid this place or avoid HER. Shes like a damn demon. Especially if its ur first time and ur shy and stuff. Coz she will man handle u and scream at u. They keep sending me mails to go back and and what not and my answer is hell NO! Im disgusted by her manners and the way she carried herself. She shouldnt be able to work there. Sorry but its the truth. Thats how bad my experience was.

I understand that the wait times may not be what everyone wants. You need to remember why you came here in first place. This is a place where women and men can come and not feel judge for their choices.
I came here 2 weeks ago for the most personal reasons, which to break the stigma I found out I was pregnant. What a scary situation for anyone to be in, whether or not you planned it/​happy about it/​or thinking what is going to happen with my life? My first instinct was to call my local PP. I called the Los Angeles number and the only appt they had was 3 weeks out and afraid in my situation I decided to call the next locations number. The lady on the phone was informative and gave me an appt time within the weeks I was looking for. I booked it, and thankful I did.
I arrived before the place opened, afraid but I knew I was in good hands. The front desk let me in, and the reception area was clean and a movie was playing. She was informative and very friendly. I was called back within 10 mins of arriving, although I won’t go into details everyone was friendly, non– judgmental, and 100% behind whatever you choose to do with your body. When I left I couldn’t help but to donate to this organization for giving me the opportunity to choose that I matter, and my choice matters.
I had a follow up appt a few weeks later, the nurse went over all my birth control options and seemed to be really to care about what was best for me without being preachy and went with what I said and my concerns.
With everything that is happening political-​wise, this is a place we can not lose. I know waiting sucks but you need to understand the services they are providing for lower income women who do not have insurance, or women who have no other place to turn and are coming from out of state where they do not have the options like we do in California. As women we need to band together for our rights, thank our providers for everything they are sacrificing for providing the best care and remaining un-​judgemental in our decision. Thank you PP!

I have been waiting for an hour for my appointment. This happened to me the last time I was here as well. I don’t understand wtf the point is for an appointment when they won’t be ready for you even when I made an effort to come early before my appointment time. The receptionists are chilling, drinking Starbucks in the meantime. I wish I could give them less than a star. Ok never coming back here again.

I just came for a blood test to test for hormone levels or something similar – didn’t have to wait too long which was nice. The first nurse was super nice and friendly, but the poor thing couldn’t draw blood from either of my arms – she dig a bit of digging in both arms too, which wasn’t pleasant and would guarantee bruising. My second arm actually hurt pretty badly and I’ve been holding it close to me for the past two days. We figured I was probably dehydrated, so she gave me some water and let me be for a while.
Another nurse came to help me (boyfriend heard the first nurse asking for help) and he was also super nice and friendly. I think he missed my vein the first time and poked me (finally!) in the vein on his second try, though it hurt quite badly.
We also found out (after we uncovered the cotton balls from my two initial stabs) that the first nurse actually did hit my veins both times (as I was bleeding quite a bit and one was swollen), though why we couldn’t draw any blood I dunno. Either way, I was more thankful it was over with, and if it wasn’t my tolerance for pain (nurse 2 did some digging too but minimal compared to nurse 1), I’d probably have nightmares for weeks.
The doctor who saw me sounded very rushed and although she was nice and made sure I had no more questions, I felt like she wanted to get me out asap. I understand all the doctors are completely booked, but it’s never a good feeling to not feel at ease and not trust that your doctor really cares about you.
Anywho, I’m nursing two bruised arms, which are very stiff and painful and I look like a druggie. I’ll give 2 stars still, because the nurses were very nice and sympathetic, but the experience itself was a bit traumatic.

Very friendly and knowledgeable staff. Very clean and organized. They remained on schedule even though it was busy. I highly recommend Planned Parenthood in Alhambra!

They make ppl wait. They made me wait for almost 2 hours even though I had a appointment at 2:30. They put me in the room and another 30 mins wait.
Need to keep reminding them you’re there, so they will remember to take care of you.

I called in on a Saturday at 8:25am to see if I could get an appointment. They had a 9am available so I drove there right after the phone call. The service was really quick. I was out of the clinic at 9:30!
As per the operator, she did say that this clinic does accept walk ins, but wait time may vary according to the amount of patients there. I would suggest you go as soon as they are open since I only seen 2 ladies there. The staff are friendly and attentive. I was not afraid to ask questions.

I always thought that free clinics meant long waits and grumpy people but all of the staff and doctors are very nice and knowledgeable. I made an appointment at 8:30am and went in at 9:00am. She let me know what kind of birth control methods there are and I chose the implant. She sends me to the doctor and by 9:45am, the implant is in and I am free to leave. If you want the shortest wait, make an appointment at an early time. You will generally have to wait at least an hour for your name to be called. Fortunately, there are movies playing in the waiting area. People should be more grateful for these free services provided. Ladies, it is a free clinic, please be respectful to those who are providing these services and stop giving the workers attitude.

I am very grateful for Planned Parenthood and their services. This clinic in specific is my favorite because of Dr. Elizabeth. She is amazing, extremely knowledgeable and very thorough. Unlike pretty much every gynecologist I’ve ever been to, she doesn’t quickly look at my vag and rush me through the exam. She answers every single question, and let’s you know everything she sees as she goes along.
I understand that most Planned Parenthood’s are packed with people in the waiting room, and there’s probably good reason most doctors can’t take their time with you, but this never seems to affect Dr. Elizabeth’s exam. I’ve seen her more than once and always felt she was calm, gentle and took the proper time.
I am the type of person who wants to know everything about what’s going on with my body. I don’t just want someone to look down there and throw medication at me. I want to know what is going on, how this could’ve happened, and what I can do to prevent it from happening again. The fact that Dr. Elizabeth goes through everything in detail and even asks at the end of your appointment if you have any further questions, shows me that she actually cares about the patients that come to Planned Parenthood. It’s very obvious that she enjoys her job and appreciates medical science as a whole.
I like the fact Planned Parenthood is there for low income individuals, and never turns anybody away for services they need.
Because of the friendly staff, cleanliness and discreet placement of this 3^rd floor location — this Planned Parenthood gets five stars!
And if every doctor was like Dr. Elizabeth, I think people would enjoy going to the doctor a lot more.

Customer service is always good. The doctors are very informative and attentive.
But the wait is always long (they are short staffed) even with an appointment, so I docked a star off.
The office has moved upstairs, use the elevator to go up the 3^rd floor, suite #330.
This location is brand new and very clean.
I suggest packing headphones and your phone charger.

If I could give it no stars I wish I could. Made an appointment for 240 and it is now 6pm and I have not been seen. What is the point of having people make your appointments and and two hours later not even been seen? It is so frustrating I don’t even know what to say! Absolutely ridiculous !

I love this location! I have been to the Eagle Rock and Pasadena locations and this is by far the best one. Everyone is so nice and helpful and it was the fastest wait times at any locations, I was in and out within an hour and a half, and I was getting my birth control implant taken out. At the Pasadena location i waited for 2 and a half hours and wasn’t even seen. Best one for sure!

Came here on a Tuesday afternoon (6 pm) for birth control and was out of there in an hour with a year’s supply of BC, condoms, and a plan B pill free of charge (I have Medical). I have heard the wait can get very long but I came later in the day and still waited an hour. I admit I almost fell asleep waiting but when I did get called they were friendly and professional but most of all, they helped me in a quick manner and it felt so effortless. If you’re dreading the wait, they did play a movie in the waiting room (Pitch Perfect) or you can bring something in to do. Worth the wait!

My services are always FREE! who doesn’t like Free Services? Therefore you see a lot of people in their waiting rooms (just like at any other low income/​free clinics). If I was to receive my services (birth control etc) through my doctor I would be paying hundreds of dollars might be out of there in an hour but my wallet will also be emptier in less than an hour, SO YES I WAIT LIKE 2 – 3 HOURS but honestly, so what I walk out of there with my birth control. We take places like these for granted, can you afford to pay over $ 300 for birth control? I sure can’t so I will keep my mouth shut and bring a book and patiently wait for my turn, because guess what I just saved myself about $ 300 or more :)
Let’s give these folks more credit…

This place is great. Every single staff member, from all the front desk workers to the nurses and doctor were super friendly, polite, and answered all the questions I had from insurance and billing to medications.
I had to wait about an hour and a half with an appointment BUT it wasn’t their fault as my insurance provider was giving them issues (this might be a reason for some others’ delays, and the fact that I noticed some people came in almost an hour early for their appointment and kind of threw things out of turn.) After an hour they apologized and let me know of the issue so I would know I wasn’t forgotten. Not a problem as they do have good movies on the tv. After trying to resolve for another half hour, they let me go in and was seen next. I waited maybe 5 minutes in the room before the doctor came in. In and out after that, but everyone was still so apologetic for the wait which I actually expected worse from the reviews of other PPH clinics.

Very professional staff, waiting was not the much if you make an appointment in advance

Let’s face it, NO woman looks forward to seeing a gynecologist and having her hoo-​ha prodded and examined. But the staff at Planned Parenthood Alhambra make the experience a bit more bearable.
The clinic is located in the 320 Building on Garfield. While on Garfield, if you turn right on Commonwealth you’ll see a Parking structure. The spots closest to the parking entrance are reserved for Patients Only.
**TIP: The sign says «2 Hour Maximum», but the Med assistants reassured me that it’s not strictly enforced so if you’re there for more than 2 hours, Don’t Worry! In the parking structure, you’ll see a big sign with an arrow pointing to the direction of the 320 Building. Follow that, turn LEFT, and you’ll see PPH on your left with Garfield St. on your right.
Out of the PPHs I’ve visited, this Alhambra location is by far my Favorite for 3 main reasons:
1.) ENTERTAINMENT — A movie is always playing in the Lobby. First visit as a Walk-​in, I literally watched Bride Wars twice. Second visit, Devil Wears Prada and this time Ella Enchanted. There’s also plenty of magazines to read if you get bored and water if you get thirsty.
2.) REDUCED WAIT TIME — I didn’t check in 10 – 15 min early for my appointment, but still checked-​in successfully without any grief from the receptionist.
**TIP: Make sure you have your ID card and/​or Family PACT card ready!
With only 2 patients ahead of me, I waited about 20 minutes til I was called in by the MA for vitals.**TIP: WOMEN, make sure you remember the last date of your Period cuz they’ll ASK!
I did get slightly impatient and bored waiting in the exam room for the Clinician. I waited 20 – 25 minutes (thus why this Review has Pictures!) until I was seen. But overall, my ENTIRE visit was only 1.5 hour long! Compared to the PPH Hollywood where I had an appointment and waited 4 HOURS to be seen, this place is definitely my Savior!!!
3.) EXCELLENT & FRIENDLY SERVICE — The Med Assistants are respectful and friendly. Elias is my favorite cuz he initially told me about the Flu Shot that is ONLY $ 10 if you’re already there for an appointment and specifically ASK for it. Otherwise, it’s $ 30. My clinician, Elizabeth, was super nice, explained everything she was doing, and gave me valuable advice to keep myself healthy. After your exam, they’ll ask you to do a survey to rate the staff and your overall experience.
Overall, my needs are always met every time I visit. And today I left fully vaccinated and got FREE contraceptives! YAY! :)

Friendly people normally its a busy place so make an appointment. Staff is great and drs too. They are understanding of our situations and really help with advise if needed or unsure. I recommend this place.