Women in Southwest Colorado can now get prescriptions for birth control and urinary tract infection medication through a phone app.

Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains has started offering services through an app to expand access to women who may live far from medical services or find it difficult to make an in-person appointment, said Adrienne Mansanares, chief experience officer with the nonprofit.

“We really want to meet people where they are,” she said.

Through the PPDirect App, patients answer screening questions that are reviewed by a licensed medical provider, according to a news release.

Eligible patients can opt to have a birth control prescription mailed to them or filled by a pharmacy. Prescriptions to treat a urinary tract infection are filled by pharmacies in the patients’ area.

Patients who are not eligible to receive prescriptions through the app can use it to book an in-person appointment, the news release said.

The app launched quietly in April and has been well-received, Mansanares said. In one case, a patient who had extreme anxiety around booking appointments was served through the app, she said.

“There is clearly a demand and interest for this service ,” she said.

Planned Parenthood plans to slowly expand the services available through the app, she said. The next step will likely be accepting Medicaid, a form of public insurance, she said.

The app does not accept any insurance, but rates are affordable, Mansanares said.

A urinary tract infection consultation is $15. A birth control prescription is $25 per month, she said.

mshinn@durangoherald.com