Insider News September 2023
In this issue:
- President & CEO Message
- Health Care: Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
- Education: Goodbye Summer, Hello New School Year
- Advocacy & Government Relations: National Voter Registration Day
- You can continue to make Care. No Matter What. possible!
- In Case You Missed It
Dear Friends,
It was wonderful to wind down the summer with many of you at the Making Waves: PPHP’s Wine Tasting event on September 10. With your support, we raised over $157,000 to continue our organization’s critical work of helping people determine their own sexual health and reproductive futures.
At the event, we honored Nancy Goroff with the PPHP Impact Award for her decades of support for PPHP. We also heard from Em Moratti, our health education manager, about the important work our Education and Training team is doing to provide sex education to our communities. I want to share again what a student once told Em after a workshop:
“You all are so comfortable talking about these topics. This made me and others more comfortable. A lot of the questions that were asked might have been a bit embarrassing to some kids, and I loved how y’all answered them freely and respectfully.”
Educators like Em ensure that young people are armed with knowledge and confidence so they can make decisions for themselves that will help them to flourish. We know that this work improves health outcomes for our youth. If you believe in a future where young people learn what they need to grow up safe, healthy, and confident, we hope you’ll continue to support our work. You can make a donation today at pphp.org/donatetoday.
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 stay up-to-date on what is happening at PPHP and issues related to sexual and reproductive health care.
In this together,
Vincent Russell
President & CEO
Health Care: Ovarian Cancer Awareness Month
Ovarian cancer is a type of cancer that affects one or both of your ovaries and usually occurs later in life.
There are some things that can put you at a higher risk for ovarian cancer, including:
- being over 55 years old,
- a family history of breast, gynecological (including ovarian), or colon cancer,
- personal history of breast cancer,
- certain mutations to genes called BRCA1 and BRCA2,
- never having given birth,
- having a body mass index (BMI) over 30,
- infertility,
- endometriosis,
- and never having been on the pill.
Unfortunately, there are not any great screening tests for ovarian cancer, especially for people who don’t have factors that put them at high risk. However, there are some symptoms related to ovarian cancer, such as bloating or increased belly size, pelvic or belly pain, feeling full quickly or having trouble eating, and having to urinate or feeling like you need to urinate often. These symptoms are normal for many people, which can be confusing.
Regular health exams are important to keep track of what symptoms are normal for you, identify your risk factors, and monitor any changes with a health care professional. To learn more about ovarian cancer or chat with a health care provider, visit pphp.org or call 800-230-PLAN.
Education: Goodbye Summer, Hello New School Year
Summer concluded with another successful PHASE (Peer Health Ambassador Summer Enrichment) summer camp in partnership with New York Civil Liberties Union (NYCLU), which graduated 9 peer health advocates in Suffolk County. Research shows that peer educators make a lasting impact in their communities, and we are excited to have given another cohort of teens the tools they need to educate their peers with knowledge and confidence. The camp’s success has led to us working on fall programming with our partners at NYCLU.
The end of summer also ushered in many training opportunities for our team. Our team led Sex and Gender Professional trainings for the Maurer Foundation, a Long Island-based breast health education organization, as well as St. Christopher’s in Westchester. Our team also led professional development trainings in comprehensive sexual education for SAAVE (Sexual Assault, Abuse and Victim’s Empowerment). Additionally, many members of the Education and Training team attended the SLAM Conference, a sexuality education conference that brings sex educators, clinicians, and caregivers together to learn how to provide youth-centric sex ed.
Another highlight of the summer was presenting on Abortion Stigma, Intersectionality, and Advocacy at PPHP’s Pack and Learn Event, where activists gathered to pack abortion aftercare kits that will be given to patients in our health centers.
We have just completed our annual lesson plan audit in perfect timing for the start of the school year. The team is excited to get back into the classroom with the students of Suffolk, Putnam, Rockland, and Westchester counties!
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: National Voter Registration Day
National Voter Registration Day is Tuesday, September 19! We’re extending the civic celebrations for two days with in-person events to educate our communities on the importance of voting and helping people registering to vote.
On Tuesday, September 19 we will be text banking in Smithtown and community canvassing at Rockland Community College. On Wednesday, September 20, we’ll be text banking in White Plains. Learn more about all of the events in our Activist Calendar.
Remember, the deadline to register to vote in New York’s general election is Saturday, October 28!
Can’t join us at an event, or want to do more? We are currently offering a voter registration action activist bundle to give you all the resources and materials you need to plan your own activist event. Learn more here.
We hope to see many of you soon! Check out our Monthly Activist Calendar for more upcoming events or visit our website.
Come Join Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic!
PPHP has employment opportunities in our health care centers and administrative offices.
If you’re interested in working for a leading provider of sexual and reproductive health care and a trusted source for education and advocacy, apply to work at PPHP today.
We currently have openings in the following departments:
- Education
- Finance
- Health care
- Facilities & Security
- Learning & Equity
- Patient Services
You can learn more about open positions and working at PPHP here.
National Voter Registration Day Events
Text Bank
Tuesday, September 19
Smithtown
More information here
Community Canvass
Tuesday, September 19
Rockland Community College
More information here
Text Bank
Wednesday, September 20
White Plains
More information here
Quilting for Comprehensive Sex Education
September 30, 2023
White Plains
More information here
Youth Fall Action: Community Canvass
Saturday, October 7, 2023
Westchester
More information here
The Empower Gala
Wednesday, October 18, 2023
Sarah Lawrence College, Bronxville
More information here
Youth Fall Action: Text Bank
Thursday, October 7, 2023
Virtual
More information here
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.
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