PPHP Leadership Call with Vincent Russell, President & CEO
November 11, 2021
Thank you for joining us today and for your continued support of PPHP’s sexual and reproductive health care services, education programs, and advocacy efforts. I hope that you have been well as we continue to deal with the COVID-19 pandemic. I am going to give you an overview of what is happening with sexual and reproductive health care at the national level and then tell you what is going on locally at PPHP.
Supreme Court Of The United States:
As you probably saw in the news recently, the U.S. Supreme Court heard oral arguments for two cases involving Texas’s S.B. 8 abortion ban: Whole Woman’s Health v. Jackson is a challenge to S.B. 8 brought by a broad coalition of plaintiffs, including the Texas Planned Parenthood affiliates and other Texas abortion providers, abortion funds, and doctors, and United States v. Texas is a lawsuit challenging S.B. 8 filed by the U.S. Department of Justice.
Patients and providers from Texas finally had their day in court. Lawyers for the providers and the United States clearly made the case for why S.B. 8 should be blocked and why this private enforcement scheme is not only a threat to abortion access but to every other constitutional right we hold dear. We are hopeful that the Court will move quickly with its decision and block S.B. 8 and allow the people of Texas to exercise their constitutional right to abortion.
On December 1, the U.S. Supreme Court will hear Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health relating to a ban on abortion at 15 weeks in Mississippi. The state of Mississippi is asking the Court to overturn Roe v. Wade, calling the landmark decision—along with its successor Planned Parenthood of Southeastern Pennsylvania v. Casey—”grievously wrong, unworkable, damaging, and outmoded.”
If the Court does not overrule Roe and Casey, Mississippi asks that it, at a minimum, reject viability as the constitutionally significant line for abortion restrictions, and uphold the ban. Jackson’s Women’s Health is the sole provider of abortion in Mississippi and has won in lower courts that this ban on abortion is unconstitutional.
New research from Planned Parenthood Federation of America and In Our Own Voice: National Black Women’s Reproductive Justice Agenda found that 26 states could move to ban abortion, jeopardizing access for over 36 million women, trans men, and non-binary people. That’s nearly half of all women of reproductive age in the United States. For too many people, abortion is already a right in name only because of barriers to access. That’s especially true for Black, Latino, and Indigenous communities in the South and Midwest.
At Planned Parenthood we will continue to fight these bans on abortion and I know I can count on your support in these efforts.
Title X:
On to some good news! In October, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services posted its final rule to undo the Trump administration’s Title X gag rule and other changes to Title X program requirements and regulations. The rule went into effect on Nov. 8 and includes updates to Title X family planning program regulations and definitions to meet a better and more wholesome understanding of health equity and inclusivity. This rule will mean:
- no gag rule-- the 2019 rules will be rescinded, and
- a return to nondirective options counseling, including referral for abortion upon request.
Unfortunately, the rule also includes some language that will leave an opening for providers to refuse to offer non-directive pregnancy counseling or other services that go against their religious beliefs. Clarification that physical separation between abortion and Title X activities is not necessary to carry out and meet program requirements.
The amount of relentless work that has gone into weathering, and now undoing, the gag rule cannot be understated-- and now, we are finally nearly here. Though the harms from the last two years can never truly be undone, we are well on our way to restoring access to sexual and reproductive health care for millions, and making the program work better for patients and the providers who serve them.
PPHP:
That’s a bit about what’s happening at the national level and now I’d like to update you on what the team here at PPHP has been doing the past several months as well as our plans for 2022.
I am happy to tell you our doors are still open at our 10 health centers. We have faced some staffing issues like many organizations and businesses, but we have continued to provide care, no matter what, to our patients. We have provided more than 41,000 visits to our patients this year (through September). We provided more than 600 COVID-19 vaccinations in three health centers and through SmartWheels mobile health centers. Like many other homes and businesses in Westchester, our White Plains health center experienced some flood damage when Hurricane Ida hit our region. We had to close for a few days initially to remove the water and dirt and thorough clean the health center, and then reopened to see patients, we recently closed again for 2 weeks to replace damaged doors, flooring, and walls. I’m happy to say the center is fully open again and looks great!
Our Public Affairs team spent the summer months educating our communities about the importance of getting the COVID-19 vaccine. They engaged our activists to participate in healthy neighborhood canvasses and phone and text banks, sharing information about the safety of the vaccine and dispelling incorrect myths. We also hosted an activist boot camp with sessions on lobbying, canvassing, voter education, and digital tools to prepare our activists for upcoming activities and lobbying efforts. Following the success of our initial High School Advocacy Program with 17 participants last spring, we launched the second cohort this fall and have 22 participants! This fall and into next year, our team will be working to ensure all New York students have comprehensive sex education from kindergarten through 12th grade. This work is funded through by a generous supporter who knows the importance of sex education for young people.
Our Education and Training team launched our first Personal Responsibility and Education Program (PREP) Summer Camp program in Suffolk County and the youth had a great time. Our team updated all of our sex education lesson plans and translated them into Spanish, increasing our ability to provide programs throughout our region. Our 2021/2022 Teen Information and Peer Services (TIPS) program is underway with 23 high school students participating in Westchester and Rockland counties. We are planning to launch this program in Suffolk County as well, to increase the number of teen peer educators. We have reached more than 2,600 young people through 607 programs through September, and more than 200 parents and adults through 31 programs. Our team is excited to be back in schools, in person, educating and engaging with your people across our area.
Looking ahead, I’m excited to announce we will be launching our CenteringPregnancy program, virtually, to begin educating and supporting expectant parents and to improve their pregnancy experience. Staff training is set to begin in December and we hope to launch our first cohort in late February. We will begin the expansion and renovation of our West Islip health center which will enable us to see more patients and provide more care to that community. Lastly, we will be purchasing two new, larger, custom-designed mobile health centers to replace our existing SmartWheels vehicles. They will have full exam rooms and dedicated staff to provide our full range of services in the community to those unable to come to one of our health centers. I am hopeful that we will be able to host our events in-person again next year.
I have to say I am proud of the PPHP team and how they continue to adapt and respond to our ever-changing environment. Their commitment to our patients, program participants, and activist endures through everything, no matter what. We have accomplished a lot this year and have exciting things planned for next year. We would not be able to do all of this without your continued support and for that I am truly grateful and thank you for continuing to stand with us.
I wish you and your families a happy and healthy holiday season.
Q&A:
Can you tell us more about the new mobile health centers you mentioned?
The two new, larger mobile health centers will allow us to keep up with demand and continue providing trusted sexual and reproductive health care services to communities in Suffolk, Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam counties experiencing barriers to health care. These new mobile health centers will be outfitted to include a private exam room set up with a full exam table, allowing us to expand services provided in the mobile health centers, namely annual gynecological exams which include pelvic and breast exams and cancer screenings. We will also continue to provide STI testing and treatment, HIV testing and PEP and PrEP for HIV prevention, birth control, and emergency contraception.
What is the CenteringPregnancy program you mentioned?
CenteringPregnancy brings 8-10 prenatal patients all due at the same time together for their care. In addition to receiving medical care during their pregnancy, participants also group discussions and interactive activities designed to address important and timely health topics while leaving room to discuss what is important to the group. Centering materials help patients and providers ensure everything from nutrition, common discomforts, stress management, labor and delivery, breastfeeding, and infant care are covered in group. This unique approach to prenatal care has proven to greatly impact overall outcomes of both the parent and child. At a time when maternal mortality is at an all-time high, this model has been shown to decrease those numbers. We want to be at the forefront of ensuring our patients have a healthy pregnancy and a safe space to be heard.
I’m interested in the sex education campaign you mentioned. How can I get more involved?
We always welcome people interested in helping with our advocacy work! If you would like to get more involved with ensure all New York students have comprehensive sex education, you can reach out to our Public Affairs team via email at publicaffairs@pphp.org. One of our team members will get back to you with more information and upcoming plans.
