A Letter from PPMM CEO Stacy Cross

Dear Friends, 

As we welcome 2023, I look forward to hearing more from you, sharing more with you, and seeing more of you in person!

In this newsletter you are going to meet five people who, over the past year, have told us their abortion stories — experiences that may remind you of yourself or a friend or family member. Telling our stories is a powerful way to change minds and influence public policies, so I hope you’ll be inspired to share your own Planned Parenthood health care story in 2023.

Every year, we care for our communities like no one else can, but we can’t do it alone. We need you, and we need community partners like Nevada’s Wild West Access Fund and California’s Access Reproductive Justice.

You will also read about our new, high-volume STI/lab-test diagnostic machines, designed by a top medical technology firm that sought collaborative feedback from PPMM. In fact, we will be the first health care provider in the world to use this innovative tool at full capacity.

Finally, I can’t wait to see you at our exciting event series this year! While we are still carefully following protocols to keep everyone safe and healthy, we will be meeting in person as well as continuing some online events.

With gratitude and hope for the new year,

Stacy Cross

PPMM President & CEO

Stories of abortion care

After the Supreme Court overturned Roe last June, people shared these powerful abortion stories, via video, for PPMM to post on social media. We invite supporters to share your own abortion story in 2023 as we continue the fight to destigmatize abortion care.

Abby, 28
Bay Area

When I was 26, I was in the midst of getting a PhD when I learned that my IUD had failed, and I was pregnant. I knew at the time I did not have the mental or emotional capacity to be a good mom, so I decided to get an abortion. I am so grateful that I was able to make that personal choice, that I can start a family when the time is right for me professionally and personally.

When I was 24, I received news that I was pregnant, and I was completely devastated. I was not in a good place in my life. It was the middle of the pandemic. I wanted to go back to school. I was stuck in a very toxic relationship, and I knew I wasn’t physically or mentally prepared to bring another life [into the world] so I chose to get an abortion. Now, I am happy to say that I stand by the choice that I had made. And if it wasn’t for Planned Parenthood I wouldn’t be here today.

Imogen, 32
Northern California

I had an abortion this year.
I had the abortion because the fetus tested positive for (a devastating genetic disease) and that was not the quality of life that we wanted for our child. It was one of the hardest things I’ve ever done — although the decision itself was not hard, the consequences were difficult. But I am still grateful that option was available to me, and hope that it is available to anyone else who would choose it.

Isabel, 41
Sacramento Region

I had an abortion when I was 17. At that age I was in no shape to have a child. I didn’t know what I wanted out of life, but I knew that that wasn’t it. I was thankful to be able to have access to a safe abortion which allowed me to take control of my life – study, travel, and ultimately end up in my dream career.

Karen, 58
Sacramento Region

When I was 31, I had an abortion. It was one of the toughest things I’ve ever had to do, but I believe it was the best option for me and my family. I had a young child, I was divorced, and I was just starting a new job. My boyfriend expressed no interest in being a future father. In addition, I had a postpartum depression with my first pregnancy, and I realized that this could come back again. This was a very hard decision, it’s even hard for me to talk about it today, but I do not regret it and I appreciate having had the choice.

Do you have an abortion story to share?
Share your story at ppmarmonte.org/my-story.

We’ll send you more info about sharing on video, as a written story, or on social media.

The Wild West Access Fund of Nevada is a 501(c)(3) abortion fund serving anybody who seeks an abortion in Nevada. We also offer practical and logistical support. Since June 2021, every dollar we’ve received has been redistributed to our community. In 2022 alone, we’ve pledged roughly $60,000 to 303 patients — including folks having to travel from restricted states. Sign up to be a monthly donor today to sustain this work and help us continue expanding access for abortion seekers through our website: wildwestfund.org/donate (via ActBlue).

Access Reproductive Justice (ACCESS RJ) removes barriers and builds the power of Californians to achieve reproductive justice. We provide direct support to our community by providing funding, logistical support, information, emotional support, and resources. We also build power by organizing with our communities to advocate for political and systemic change. We are building towards a future where all people in California, but especially BIPOC (Black, Indigenous, and people of color) and queer communities, have the freedom and resources necessary to make empowered and dignified decisions about their sexual and reproductive health. Learn more and donate at accessrj.org.

Your local Planned Parenthood leading innovation

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, the largest Planned Parenthood affiliate in the U.S., has played a collaborative role in the development of an innovative diagnostic machine designed by the medical technology company Becton Dixon (BD). The machine, COR Systems, processes high-quality test results for infectious diseases, including STIs, at a far faster rate and higher volume than before.

Your support helps make critical collaborations like this one possible

PPMM, which operates 35 health centers in mid-California and northern Nevada, will be the first health care provider in the world to have the new COR machine running at full capacity , a major milestone for a non-profit community health care provider that serves a majority of patients who have low incomes.

“This new machine will deliver gold-standard results for our patients,” said PPMM’s Chief Medical Operating Officer Dr. Laura Dalton, who was invited by BD in 2017 to observe and provide feedback on the development of COR equipment.

“PPMM has the distinction of being an ambulatory medical setting that does very high-volume testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs). This is a great example of health care equity – our patients also deserve the best company making the best instrument to deliver the best tests.”

The COR machine allows a significant reduction in hands-on time for medical laboratory staff who load and unload samples, allowing patients to receive high-quality test results rapidly and at lower cost to the medical lab. This will revolutionize efficiency in testing for infections such as HPV, which can cause cervical cancer.

COR will also allow many more tests to be processed at PPMM’s medical labs instead of having to be sent to an outside lab, which is more expensive and takes more time.

For four years, PPMM has also been working with the California Department of Public Health, supplying STI data from our health centers to help the state more effectively battle the sharp increase of certain infections. The COR machine will further aid this effort.

“BD saw us as a good partner for the launch of this machine because we are a non-profit and unique,” Dr. Dalton said.

The partnership represents a victory for patients, regardless of their income or zip code, and shows why your partnership is critical for our patients and our community.

“Being a non-profit does not mean our patients deserve less than, and it was so important that our voice was at the table during the process,” Dr. Dalton said. “This shows that we have the power to influence the next technology. Our voice and our patients are part of the future.”

After almost three years, in-person events are back!

PPMM’s 2023 Event Series: Together We Rise. We Resist. We Care. begins in February and includes an in-person return of the Peninsula Breakfast, a new traveling roadshow held in five local venues featuring video storytelling, local community leaders, and an inspirational virtual event.

Roadshow tickets start at $25. Sponsorships start at $1,500. Locations will be provided upon registration. To buy tickets or sponsorships and learn more, go to ppmarmonte.org/together.

Sacramento Roadshow

TBD

Santa Cruz Roadshow

February 16, 2023 | 5:30 p.m. 

Peninsula Breakfast

March 10, 2023 | 7:30 a.m. 
Featuring Professor Khiara M. Bridges, UC Berkeley School of Law, and Ken Lambrecht, President & CEO, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas

Oakland Roadshow

May 7, 2023 | 10:30 a.m. 

Virtual Event

May 24 | 6:00 p.m. 
Featuring Olivia Julianna, Gen Z for Change

Monterey County Roadshow

June 1, 2023 | 5:30 p.m. 

Stockton Roadshow

July 9, 2023 | 10:30 a.m. 

We hope you can join us at one of our upcoming events. If you have any questions, please email events@ppmarmonte.org.