Luke Palmisano/THE POST The reflection of the setting sun glistens off the front door of the Planned Parenthood office building located at 396 Richland Ave. Planned Parenthood came to Athens in 1971, bringing with it confidential, low-cost family planning methods, counseling and testing for sexually transmitted diseases.

No two days are alike for Beth Guthrie at her job as the site supervisor at Planned Parenthood of Southeast Ohio.

At any given time, she could be administering a test for a sexually transmitted disease, assisting a physician with a medical examination or talking to a patient about birth control options. Most days, she does all of these.

Beth Guthrie is a licensed practical nurse. She is one of several staff members at Planned Parenthood who work with both sides of patients' well-being - physical and emotional.

Planned Parenthood came to Athens in 1971, bringing with it confidential, low-cost family planning methods, counseling and testing for sexually transmitted diseases. Before the office opened at 396 Richland Ave., many people living in the area had no place to go for birth control and counseling.

"The contrast between the state of affairs now and 30 years ago is unbelievable," said Valerie Roth, director of education. "There is now someplace for people to go."

Employees at Planned Parenthood in Athens see people from all walks of life, Roth said.

"There are a lot of different people who come here," Roth said. "There are low-income Appalachian women who really can't afford to have any more babies. Students come here for the confidentiality. Mothers bring their daughters, and a lot of couples come in."

About 60 percent of patients come from the community, while 40 percent are university students. Planned Parenthood operates on a sliding scale, with patients paying for services based on their income. P.J. Guthrie, health services manager, said the demeanor of the staff is important to the patients at Planned Parenthood.

"We sometimes have to weed through some emotional stuff to get to the patient's real problem," she said. "We take people out of the waiting room and away from the front desk and into another room to make them feel more comfortable about talking to us. We understand when people are stressing out."

P.J. Guthrie said she and the other staff members play an important role in the community through their work at Planned Parenthood.

"We give accurate information. We give facts," she said. "We tell people not to necessarily buy into whatever happened to their neighbor or best friend."

P.J. Guthrie said the most difficult part of working at Planned Parenthood is having to tell someone who does not want to be pregnant that she is.

Beth Guthrie said she also found parts of her job difficult.

"It's really tough to have to tell a young person that they have a sexually transmitted disease, especially an incurable one," she said.

But there are rewards for the staff as well. P.J. Guthrie said the best part of her job is helping young people.

"It's great to be able to make a difference in a young person's life, especially someone who does not have many advantages. We're keeping people from becoming statistics," she said.

Beth Guthrie said the most rewarding part of her work is knowing she is helping people who would not be able to afford health care without Planned Parenthood.

P.J. Guthrie said the support and loyalty the staff provides for the patients is why Planned Parenthood is so successful here.

"We have staff who will follow the patient all the way through, from the first visit to the end," she said. "They don't have to do that, but they do. It provides such continuity for the patients."