MILWAUKEE (CBS 58) -- Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin has expanded access to birth control services for Medicaid patients through the Planned Parenthood Direct mobile app.

The app, which can be downloaded for free on the Apple App Store and Google Play, enables patients to order birth control or receive treatment for urinary tract infections via their mobile devices.

Tanya Atkinson, CEO and president of PPWI, said in a Monday, March 20 press release, "As politicians work to restrict access to critical reproductive health care, the Planned Parenthood Direct app is one more tool people can use to get the care they need from trusted health care experts, no matter where they live."

PPWI also claimed in their press release that COVID-19 pandemic increased the need for reproductive health care in the state, citing studies from the Guttmacher Institute.

Medicaid eligible patients and those enrolled in the Wisconsin Family Planning Only Services program can use the PP Direct app. To do so, patients download the app, select a service, answer basic questions and submit their request. A clinician will follow up within 24 hours to assist with the request.

If birth control is requested, it will be sent through the mail via PPWI’s Quarterly Contraceptive Kit program. If UTI treatment is requested, the prescription will be sent to the patient's local pharmacy.

To learn more about PP Direct, visit the Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin website.