“For those that are underinsured or uninsured, there aren’t a lot of options for them in a rural area,” said Stacy Kraft, a registered nurse who works at the clinic, 110 N. 12th St. “We help a wide variety of age groups, ethnicities, and economic statuses.”

The clinic has been open since 2014. It is an extension of Webster County Public Health.

The clinic, which also provides services to Hamilton, Humboldt and Wright counties, offers confidential care for male and female clients from age 12 to 63, according to Dr. Kelli Wallace.

Four people work in the office including Kraft, Wallace, Nancy Vasquez, a translator, and Sadie Trueblood, administrative staff.

Cost for services is based on the ability to pay, but there is no income limit.

The clinic birth control options, plus counseling on how to use them, pregnancy testing, STD (sexually transmitted disease) testing and education, pelvic exams and pap test, and reproductive life planning.

“A lot of it is educating,” Wallace said. “We do a lot of STI (sexually transmitted infection) testing and treatment. We do pregnancy tests.”

Wallace hopes offering the services will help reduce the number of overall infections.

She said Webster County is No. 1 in chlamydia infections per capita in the state of Iowa. Webster County ranks ninth in gonorrhea, she said.

“Education is the biggest point,” Kraft said.

Wallace added, “Educate yourself, know what you need to do to protect yourself and where you can obtain certain services.”

Wallace said birth control options are probably the most common reason people come to the clinic.

“We discuss with adolescents the impact that having sex has on the rest of your life,” Wallace said.

Trueblood said the clinic serves about 20 people a day.

“We have a lot of walk-ins,” she said.

The staff tries to be approachable and serve people’s needs as quickly as possible, Vazquez said.

“We work hard to get people in, in a timely manner,” Wallace said. “We like what we do. We care about these kids or young women that come in.”