Planned Parenthood Of Northern New England

REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE AND EDUCATION

IN FY21, PPNNE CONTINUED TO PROVIDE HIGH-QUALITY SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH (SRH) CARE THROUGH 21 HEALTH CENTERS ACROSS MAINE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND VERMONT, AS WELL AS THROUGH TELEHEALTH. PATIENTS RECEIVED VITAL SERVICES SUCH AS WELL-PERSON EXAMS, CANCER SCREENINGS, BIRTH CONTROL COUNSELING AND ACCESS TO THE FULL RANGE OF CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS, EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION, ABORTION CARE, STD TESTING/TREATMENT/PREVENTION SERVICES, IMMUNIZATIONS, GENDER AFFIRMING HORMONE THERAPY, BEHAVIORAL HEALTH SCREENINGS/REFERRALS/SUPPORT, AND OTHER LIMITED PRIMARY CARE. HIGHLIGHTS OF PATIENT CARE FROM 7/1/20-6/30/21 INCLUDED:-MEETING THE SRH NEEDS OF 34,281 PATIENTS THROUGH 50,104 VISITS (IN-PERSON AND TELEHEALTH VISITS COMBINED).-CONTRIBUTING TO IMPORTANT PATIENT AND SOCIETAL OUTCOMES. BASED ON FORMULAS DEVELOPED IN PEER-REVIEWED GUTTMACHER INSTITUTE RESEARCH (WWW.GUTTMACHER.ORG/BROADER-BENEFITS/), PPNNE SERVICES HELPED PATIENTS PREVENT AN ESTIMATED 4,940 UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES, RESULTING IN NET PUBLIC COST SAVINGS OF $24.7 MILLION. -SERVING A PREDOMINANTLY LOW-INCOME, UNDERINSURED, AND YOUNG PATIENT BASE. DURING THIS PERIOD, 64% OF PATIENTS WERE LOW-INCOME (AT OR BELOW 200% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY GUIDELINE, OR $25,760 FOR ONE PERSON), 38% WERE LIVING BELOW THE POVERTY LINE ($12,880 FOR ONE PERSON), 19% WERE UNINSURED/SELF-PAY, AND 35% HAD COVERAGE THROUGH MEDICAID OR ANOTHER PUBLIC PROGRAM. OUR PATIENT BASE WAS ALSO OVERWHELMINGLY FEMALE (87%) AND YOUNG, WITH 64% UNDER THE AGE OF 30 (13% TEENS AND 51% IN THEIR TWENTIES). -ENSURING ACCESS FOR UNINSURED/UNDERINSURED PATIENTS BY DELIVERING OVER $5.3 MILLION IN FREE/DISCOUNTED HEALTH CARE THROUGH OUR SLIDING FEE SCALE PROGRAM. -OFFERING EXPANDED SUPPORT TO VERMONT PATIENTS THROUGH PPNNE'S INTEGRATED BEHAVIORAL HEALTH PROGRAM (WHICH EMBEDS LICENSED MENTAL HEALTH PROFESSIONALS IN OUR HEALTH CENTERS) AND PREPARING TO LAUNCH THIS PROGRAM IN MAINE DURING FY22. -ACHIEVING A VERY HIGH LEVEL OF PATIENT SATISFACTION. HIGHLIGHTS OF SURVEY RESULTS INCLUDE THAT: PATIENTS FELT THE SERVICES OFFERED MET THEIR NEEDS (SCORING 96.7 OUT OF 100 POINTS), STAFF LISTENED TO THEIR NEEDS (97.5), STAFF PROTECTED THEIR SAFETY (97.5/100), AND THEY WERE TREATED WITH COMPASSION AND RESPECT (97.6/100). AS A RESULT, PATIENTS WERE EXTREMELY LIKELY TO RECOMMEND PPNNE TO OTHERS (97.3/100).

PPNNE REACHES AND ENGAGES YOUTH AND ADULTS, WITH A FOCUS ON THE SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH (SRH) NEEDS OF UNDERSERVED AND AT-RISK POPULATIONS, THROUGH COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND COLLABORATIONS, TRAININGS, EVENTS, AND EDUCATION PROGRAMMING. IN THE CONTEXT OF THE EVOLVING PANDEMIC, WE LEVERAGED TECHNOLOGY AND OFTEN ADAPTED THIS WORK FOR VIRTUAL CONNECTION. HIGHLIGHTS INCLUDE: -CONDUCTING 140 OUTREACH ACTIVITIES ACROSS OUR REGION TO DEEPEN REFERRAL RELATIONSHIPS WITH OTHER HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICE ORGANIZATIONS, RAISE VISIBILITY, AND BRING SERVICES AND EDUCATION TO MORE PEOPLE. -ADVANCING SPECIAL PROACTIVE INITIATIVES (AS FUNDING ALLOWS) TO IMPROVE PUBLIC HEALTH, ADDRESS HEALTH INEQUITIES, AND REDUCE UNINTENDED PREGNANCY, WITH DOWNSTREAM IMPACTS ON INDIVIDUALS, FAMILIES, AND COMMUNITIES. EXAMPLES OF THIS WORK INCLUDED DELIVERING VIRTUAL TRAININGS ON FAMILY PLANNING NEEDS/REFERRALS, CONTRACEPTIVE COUNSELING, AND OTHER SRH TOPICS TO COMMUNITY HEALTH AND SOCIAL SERVICE PROFESSIONALS; PROVIDING RESOURCES TO COMMUNITY PARTNERS; TRANSLATING ADDITIONAL PATIENT/OUTREACH MATERIALS AND OTHER PROJECTS TO ENHANCE SRH ACCESS FOR PEOPLE WITH LIMITED ENGLISH PROFICIENCY; AND MORE. -EMPOWERING TEENS TO SERVE AS SEXUAL HEALTH AMBASSADORS THROUGH OUR UNIQUE PEER EDUCATION PROGRAM, WHICH DELIVERS LIFE-CHANGING INFORMATION VIA SCHOOLS, COMMUNITY GROUPS AND ONE-ON-ONE INTERACTIONS. THIS INCLUDED COLLABORATIVELY PLANNING THE YOUTH SEX EDUCATION SUMMIT, WHICH WAS SUCCESSFULLY HELD VIRTUALLY. -EXPANDING AND IMPROVING YOUTH SEXUAL HEALTH EDUCATION THROUGH A RANGE OF ACTIVITIES AND COLLABORATIONS. THIS FREQUENTLY INVOLVED SUPPORTING TEACHERS AND OTHER YOUTH-SERVING PROFESSIONALS TO STRENGTHEN THEIR DELIVERY OF SRH EDUCATION AND INFORMATION, INCLUDING THROUGH IN-PERSON TRAINING AND A GROWING MENU OF VIRTUAL WEBINAR OPTIONS (SEE WWW.PPNNE.ORG/EDUCATION).

PPNNE'S ORGANIZING AND POLICY PROGRAM INTEGRATES PUBLIC EDUCATION, ADVOCACY, COLLABORATION, MEDIA STRATEGIES, AND GRASSROOTS MOBILIZATION. THESE EFFORTS ARE CONDUCTED IN TANDEM WITH PLANNED PARENTHOOD ACTION FUND ORGANIZATIONS IN MAINE, NEW HAMPSHIRE, AND VERMONT AND IN COLLABORATION WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS. THIS STATE-LEVEL WORK INCLUDING ADVOCATING FOR SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND FREEDOM, EXPANDED HEALTH CARE ACCESS, AND OTHER BENEFICIAL POLICIES REDUCES UNINTENDED PREGNANCY AND PROMOTES PUBLIC HEALTH, EQUITY, AND ECONOMIC SECURITY STATEWIDE. HIGHLIGHTS FROM FY21 INCLUDED COLLABORATIVELY DEFEATING AS MANY ANTI-REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH BILLS AS POSSIBLE; CONTINUING WORK TO ADVANCE THE MULTI-YEAR EFFORT TO ENSHRINE REPRODUCTIVE LIBERTY IN THE VERMONT CONSTITUTION (PROP 5); SUPPORTING POLICIES TO STRENGTHEN DEMOCRACY, IMPROVE ACCESS TO HIV PREVENTION MEDICATIONS, AND ADDRESS DISPARITIES IN ACCESS TO PRENATAL CARE; ADVANCING PPNNE'S UNIQUE DEEP CANVASSING PROGRAM THROUGH COMMUNITY MEMBER TRAININGS, PHONE BANKING, AND DOOR-TO-DOOR CANVASSING; AND SUPPORTING CAMPUS ORGANIZING BY STUDENT LEADERS AND WORKING WITH VOLUNTEERS ACROSS OUR THREE STATES TO DEEPEN AND GROW GRASSROOTS ORGANIZING CAPACITY.

PPNNE'S COMMUNICATIONS AND MARKETING PROGRAM WORKS TO INCREASE AWARENESS OF PPNNE SERVICES, OUR SEXUAL HEALTH EXPERTISE, AND OUR ACCESSIBLE, AFFORDABLE, AND NONJUDGMENTAL CARE - LEADING TO MORE UNDERSERVED PEOPLE RECEIVING SERVICES. IN FY21, THIS WORK CONTINUED TO PLAY A KEY ROLE IN ENSURING THAT PEOPLE KNEW THEY COULD RELY ON PPNNE FOR ESSENTIAL SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE DURING THE EVOLVING COVID-19 PANDEMIC. AS ONE INDICATOR OF THE EFFECTIVENESS OF THIS OUTREACH, DURING FY21 PPNNE SERVED OVER 12,000 PATIENTS WERE NEW OR HADN'T BEEN SEEN IN THE PAST THREE YEARS, PRIMARILY YOUNG PEOPLE AND THOSE WITH LOW INCOMES.