Insider News June 2023
In this issue:
- President & CEO Message
- Health Care: Gender Affirming Care
- Education: Connecting with Our Latine Community
- Advocacy & Government Relations: Register to Vote
- You can continue to make Care. No Matter What. possible!
- In Case You Missed It
Dear Friends,
June 24 will mark one year since the Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in Dobbs v. Jackson Women's Health Organization. With that decision, tens of millions of people lost the right to make their own personal medical decisions. The chaos and confusion this caused for patients, providers, and health center staff was immediate, putting people’s health and lives at risk. While abortion is still legal in some states, including New York, we cannot ignore that access to care is growing further out of reach for millions of Americans.
At our Hamptons Benefit on June 3, we debuted this video featuring Dr. Meera Shah, PPHP’s Chief Medical Officer, and Dr. Stacy De-Lin, Associate Medical Director, in which they shared their experiences working as abortion providers in a post-Roe landscape. I encourage you to watch and listen to their stories.
Let us be clear: while New York has legal protections for abortion and other sexual and reproductive health care, this does not mean it is time to let our guard down. Every day, health care providers are forced to question whether they can provide care in line with their medical judgment and expertise, delaying lifesaving medical care — if they are even legally allowed to provide care. Our current reality is that not everyone has the resources to get the care they need, such as traveling to states without bans.
Our patients are our top priority, and our providers work tirelessly to provide patients with the care they need, when they need it, despite barriers anti-abortion rights politicians have created. PPHP is committed to providing patients with expert, compassionate abortion care in Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester counties. Along with our patients, providers, health center staff, and partners, we will continue to work toward a future where our reproductive freedoms are no longer up for debate.
Thank you for your continued support of PPHP. We could not do this work without you. To get the latest information, follow us on Facebook, Twitter, or Instagram to learn what is happening at PPHP and issues related to sexual and reproductive health care.
In this together,
Vincent Russell
President & CEO
Health Care: Gender Affirming Care
June is Pride Month, a time to celebrate and uplift LGBTQ+ communities. LGBTQ+ people are important to the PPHP community — they are our patients, staff, and supporters. We know how important it is, for people of all sexual orientations and gender identities, to feel safe, supported, and affirmed.
All people should be able to access the sexual and reproductive health care they need to live healthy, fulfilling lives. This includes providing supportive, gender affirming care to folks who need it.
Our gender affirming care services include:
- gender affirming hormone therapy for individuals aged 17 and older (under 18 requires parent/guardian consent),
- self-injection training,
- resources and referrals for primary care, mental health, surgery, dental care, legal services, electrolysis, support groups, and more, and
- sensitive and inclusive sexual and reproductive health care, including STI testing, birth control services, prenatal care, abortion care, and more.
We follow the Informed Consent model so patients do not need a mental health referral to receive services. You can learn more about gender affirming health care at PPHP here. To book an appointment, visit pphp.org or call 1-800-230-PLAN.
Education: Connecting with our Latine Community
Last month, our Promotores cohort celebrated the end of their program cycle. Our Promotores Coordinator trained five Latine peer educators, who were able to reach over 150 students. These peer educators significantly increased the access of comprehensive sexual health in Suffolk County in the Latine community. The Promotoras used the end of year celebration as an opportunity to invite their Latine friends and recruit them for the 2023-2024 cohort! What a demonstration of their passion for sexual health education.
We are pleased to have onboarded two new educators to our Personal Responsibility Education Program (PREP) team! These two new staff members will allow us to increase our reach to our Latine community and our summer programming in Suffolk County. Our Peer Health Ambassador Summer Enrichment (PHASE) Summer program will run from July to August. You can learn more about PHASE and our other summer programming here.
Our team works just as hard internally to ensure PPHP staff members are prepared to meet the communities we serve in a culturally responsive way. Two of our educators, in partnership with the Diversity, Equity, and Inclusion (DEI) team, just facilitated our first in-person Mind Sciences training, a DEI training to uncover and learn how biases impact the work we do. We are grateful to be able to have these important conversations in-person with our teammates.
To learn more about our Education and Training programs, please visit https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-hudson-peconic/local-education-training.
Advocacy & Government Relations: Register to Vote
The Primary Election is coming up on Tuesday, June 27, and we have some tips to make sure you’re ready.
Interested in helping to get out the vote? Sign-up to receive a Voter Registration Activist Bundle! We’ll give you all the materials and resources you need.
First, make sure your voter registration is up to date. The deadline to register before the primary is this Saturday, June 17. Visit elections.ny.gov to check your voter registration status.
Next, find out if you can vote in a primary election. You must be enrolled in the political party who is having a primary election. There must also be a primary election in your county, as not all counties have them. Check with your county’s Board of Elections to see if there is a primary election in your district. For more information, visit our voter information page.
If you are registered to vote and your district has a primary election, be sure to make a voting plan!
If you are voting with an absentee ballot: Absentee ballots must be postmarked by Election Day, June 27. You can drop-off your absentee ballot to your County Board of Elections or a polling site between the early voting period or on Election Day. The deadline to request an absentee ballot for the primary election has passed.
If you are voting in-person: The early voting period is from Saturday, June 17 – Sunday, June 25. Election Day is Tuesday, June 27. You can find your polling place by visiting voterlookup.elections.ny.gov.
Will you pledge to vote in 2023? Take the pledge now!
Have questions? We’re here to help! Email [email protected]. If you’re interested in getting involved, check out our Monthly Activist Calendar for upcoming events or visit our website.
In Memoriam: Rose Brown, Former Executive Director of Planned Parenthood Suffolk County
Beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, courageous leader of the reproductive rights movement for 25 years, artist, poetry lover, and devoted friend, Rose Brown died on June 7, 2023, at the age of 80. She died peacefully at her home at Meadow Lakes Senior Living Community in East Windsor, NJ, of complications from MS.
Rose grew up in the Bronx, attended the New York City High School of Music and Art, earned a Bachelor’s degree from Harpur College (now SUNY Binghamton) and a Master of Social Work from Adelphi University on Long Island. While at Adelphi, Rose took the lead in establishing a childcare center on campus, where she headed to class each day hand-in-hand with daughter Chloe, who headed off to the new center.
Shortly after graduating, Rose began a long career as Executive Director of three different Planned Parenthood affiliates—first Nassau County, then Suffolk County, and then Hudson Peconic, a result of the merger between Planned Parenthood Suffolk County and Planned Parenthood Westchester, Rockland, and Putnam, in which she was intimately involved. Rose assumed these responsibilities in an era of bomb threats and bodyguards, as it became increasingly dangerous to hold such posts. Through it all, she remained a relentless advocate for Planned Parenthood, instrumental in bringing reproductive health services to thousands of people, and passionately devoted to the fight for women's rights, especially reproductive freedom.
Rose also loved dance, theater, music, and spending time with her beloved family and friends. She is survived by adoring husband Lester Mattis, who after 24 years of marriage still calls her his “bride”; cherished daughter Chloe, husband Hal Friedlander and adored grandson August; and the many people who have benefited from Rose’s wise counsel, support, and love through the years.
For those who want to make a donation in Rose Brown’s honor or memory, please send it to PPHP at www.pphp.org/donatetoday or contact the Development department at [email protected].
Be sure to mark your calendars and share these events with your friends and family.
Pride Events
Throughout June
Multiple locations
More information here
Youth Summer Series
Second Tuesday of June, July, & August
Virtual
More information here
Making Waves: PPHP’s Wine Tasting
Sunday, September 10, 2023
The Old Field Club, East Setauket
More information here
The Empower Gala
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Sarah Lawrence University, Bronxville
More information to come
For more information, visit our Calendar of Events. We look forward to seeing you!
You can continue to make Care. No Matter What. possible!
A monthly gift to PPHP ensures security for patients in your local communities. Consider joining our Monthly Giving Program today at www.pphp.org/donatetoday.
Double your impact! Does your employer have a matching gift program? Check with your Human Resources Department to find out. For questions, contact the Development Department at [email protected].
Committed to safeguarding the future of reproductive health care? Consider leaving a legacy gift to PPHP in your will. Please contact the Development Department at [email protected].
Do you have a little bit of time to get more involved? Visit www.pphp.org for ways you can help.
PPHP News:
Guestwords: Get on With It | The East Hampton Star (Written by Maggie Valiunas, who accepted the PPHP Legacy Award on behalf of her late grandmother, Robin Chandler Duke, at the Making Waves: PPHP’s Hamptons Benefit on June 3)
Trans Guidelines Crucial in Schools | Newsday
Additional News:
The Post-Roe Vasectomy Boom Is Real | GQ
What Does 'Queer' Mean? The LGBTQ+ Term Has a Long History - Parade
Teenage birth rates in the US reached historic lows in 2022, CDC report finds - ABC News