Family Tree Clinic

Avoid this clinic if you have any history of sexual abuse or general history of trauma. They do not provide trauma informed care and are not willing to work with patients that require accommodations or help feeling safe. I was horribly re-traumatized by my experience here and found that, on top of that, the clinicians did not listen to me or take my symptoms seriously and I did not receive the healthcare I badly needed.

This should be the standard!!! From someone with a low pain tolerance and who has had bad experiences in the past, this was better than I even hoped it could be. I needed to get my IUD removed and replaced, and I specifically chose family tree clinic because of the pain preventative methods that they offer for this procedure. When I first got my IUD placed in 2021 I was not offered any pain preventatives other than 800mg of ibuprofen, which did nothing, and the procedure was so incredibly painful that it caused me to throw up multiple times and black out becoming unconscious. What was scheduled to be a 30 minute time slot took me nearly 3 hours to even be able to sit up and get off the table, and then I was in pain for 3 days afterwards. So when the time came for it to be updated, I was terrified. Fortunately THIS EXPERIENCE COULD NOT HAVE BEEN MORE DIFFERENT! This time I was offered both laughing gas and a cervical block and I barely felt a thing. They started with the laughing gas before anything else and my nervousness completely melted away. When the block was done I didn’t feel a thing, and during the removal of the old one and insertion of the new one I only felt pressure and movement, and only 2 flashes of pretty light pain that lasted just a few seconds. Additionally, they were able to identify the issue with my old IUD that was causing me pain and help me make the best informed contraception decision to prevent the same issue from happening again. When they finished I was able to get up right away, and even drive myself home 5 minutes later. After I got home I started to feel cramping, but they were comparable to mild menstrual cramps and were actually manageable with 800mg of ibuprofen. I am so incredibly thankful to the staff at family tree clinic for the pain preventative options they offer, their knowledge and expertise, and for genuinely caring and listening to me.

I was relieved to see staff still wearing masks despite the (unwise) relaxing of standards with that. Every time I visit it feels like I'm in a little sanctuary spot. One of the few healthcare places with a focus on consent, and a willingness to listen to what patients have found out about their own bodies. For those with PTSD, the doctors, lab techs, and assistants are *very* understanding and accomodating. For those who are non-verbal (for whatever reason), while I cannot guarantee everyone will be understanding, most of the folks there are. Keep it up! There's also various sexual health resources, many free, and some that are in book format but are relatively affordable. (All that said, please Family Tree upper management, reconsider that relaxation of masking. Seriously, with all the airborne diseases going around and a CDC discouraging vaccination, it only makes sense to encourage folks to wear one for their safety and the safety of others. Perhaps a free zine to help explain the importance? There are plenty of disabled folks who come to this clinic who'd be willing to throw one together!)

Saddened to see that masking will not be required by staff at this clinic. Black, Indigenous, and Trans people are still the largest groups effected by long covid. Patients deserve clean air. Patients shouldn't have to make risk assessments when seeking medical care. Your oath to do no harm includes not giving patients airborne illnesses. Will we also have to ask our medical providers to wash their hands? Extremely saddened to see the lack of community care. Please do not turn your back on marginalized communities.

I can honestly say I’ve never had a bad experience here over the many years I’ve been going. Everyone—nurses, doctors, front desk—goes above and beyond to make sure you’re getting excellent care in a safe, comfortable setting. I’m very thankful for all the staff there who go above and beyond daily.