Planned Parenthood of Nassau County Inc

PROVIDED SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES, EDUCATION, AND ADVOCACY.

HEALTH SERVICES: PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF NASSAU COUNTY (PPNC) ENSURES THAT THE PEOPLE IN OUR COMMUNITY HAVE ACCESS TO THE FULL RANGE OF REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES THEY BOTH NEED AND DESERVE - AND WE CONTINUED TO KEEP THAT PROMISE TO THE COMMUNITY THROUGHOUT 2019. MORE THAN 14,800 WOMEN, MEN AND TEENS (ACROSS 30,001 PATIENT VISITS) TURNED TO OUR HEALTH CENTERS IN HEMPSTEAD, GLEN COVE AND MASSAPEQUA IN THE PAST YEAR FOR ESSENTIAL, LIFESAVING REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE, INCLUDING: TESTING AND TREATMENT FOR SEXUALLY-TRANSMITTED INFECTIONS (STIS); BIRTH CONTROL; EMERGENCY CONTRACEPTION; GYNECOLOGICAL EXAMS; PREGNANCY TESTING; INFERTILITY SCREENING; BREAST AND CERVICAL CANCER SCREENINGS; TESTICULAR CANCERSCREENINGS; PRENATAL CARE; AND HIV TESTING AND COUNSELING. EQUALLY IMPORTANT, PPNC CONTINUED TO OFFER SAFE AND LEGAL MEDICAL AND SURGICAL ABORTIONS. MOREOVER, IN 2019, WE CONTINUED TO EXPAND RESOURCES AND CARE FOR YOUNG PEOPLE THROUGH OUR WEEKLY TEEN CLINIC,AN INITIATIVE IN WHICH OUR HEMPSTEAD HEALTH CENTER IS OPEN EXCLUSIVELY FOR TEENS ON FRIDAY EVENINGS SO THAT THEY MAY RECEIVE FREE OR LOW-COST REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE SERVICES IN A TEEN-FRIENDLY, NONJUDGMENTAL AND CONFIDENTIAL ENVIRONMENT. BY KEEPING OUR DOORS OPEN FOR TEENS, PPNC BRIDGES THE GAP BETWEEN EDUCATION AND ACCESS TO CARE, AND THEREBY REDUCES THE LIKELIHOOD OFADVERSE SEXUAL HEALTH OUTCOMES, SUCH AS STIS AND UNINTENDED PREGNANCIES. ANOTHER HIGHLIGHT OF THE YEAR INCLUDED OUR WORK COMBATING HIV/AIDS IN NASSAU COUNTY?S UNDERSERVED COMMUNITIES THROUGH EDUCATION, OUTREACH, AND TREATMENT. IN FACT, IN 2019, PPNC'S HIV PREVENTION PROGRAM FACILITATED MORE THAN 6,000 HIV TESTSAND CONTINUED TO BE ONE OF THE FEW PROVIDERS IN NASSAU COUNTY TO OFFER PRE-EXPOSURE PROPHYLAXIS (PREP), A DAILY PILL THAT INDIVIDUALS AT INCREASED RISK FOR HIV CAN TAKE TO PREVENT INFECTION. FINALLY, PPNC IS PROUD TO HAVE BEEN DESIGNATED BY NEW YORK STATE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AS A PATIENT CENTERED MEDICAL HOME,WHICH RECOGNIZES OUR EFFORTS IN PROVIDING IMPORTANT PREVENTIVE SERVICES SUCH AS FLU SHOTS, DIABETES SCREENINGS, AND WEIGHT MANAGEMENT SERVICES.

EDUCATION AND TRAINING: WHETHER IT IS TEENAGERS WITH QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR SEXUAL HEALTH, PARENTS WHO NEED HELP TALKING TO THEIR KIDS ABOUT SEX, COMMUNITY MEMBERS WHO NEED INFORMATION ON BREAST OR TESTICULAR HEALTH, OR COLLEGE STUDENTS WHO WANT TO KNOW WHERE THEY CAN GET FREE BIRTH CONTROL, THERE IS ONE PLACE PEOPLE IN THE COMMUNITY CAN ALWAYS TURN FOR ACCURATE INFORMATION: PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF NASSAU COUNTY. IN 2019, THE PPNC EDUCATION TEAM REACHED MORE THAN 14,500 NASSAU COUNTY RESIDENTS THROUGH WORKSHOPS AND COMMUNITY OUTREACH AND TRAININGS, GIVING THEM THE KNOWLEDGE ANDSKILLS THEY NEED TO MAKE HEALTHY, RESPONSIBLE SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH DECISIONS. THESE EFFORTS INCLUDED EVIDENCE-BASED SERIES AND SINGLE-SESSION WORKSHOPS ON TOPICS SUCH AS PREGNANCY AND STI PREVENTION, HEALTHY RELATIONSHIPS, CONSENT ANDPARENT-CHILD COMMUNICATION. THESE WORKSHOPS AND OUTREACH EFFORTS WERE CONDUCTED IN COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS, FAITH-BASED INSTITUTIONS AND NASSAU COUNTY SCHOOLS. EQUALLY IMPORTANT, THE SISTERS UNITED IN HEALTH INITIATIVE REACHED CLOSE TO 2,500 COMMUNITY MEMBERS WITH BREAST CANCER PREVENTION EDUCATION AND REFERRALS FOR LOW-COST BREAST SCREENINGS.

SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS ADVOCACY: PPNC IS DEDICATED TO ENSURING THAT EVERYONE IN OUR COMMUNITY HAS ACCESS TO THE ESSENTIAL HEALTH CARE SERVICES AND INFORMATION THEY NEED TO MAKE INFORMED AND EMPOWERED DECISIONS ABOUT THEIR REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL LIVES. IN 2018, PPNC'S ADVOCACY WORK INCLUDED EDUCATING AND ACTIVATING MORE THAN 20,000 ADVOCATES AROUND REPRODUCTIVE RIGHTS ISSUES SUCH AS THE TITLE X DOMESTIC GAG RULE, THREATS TO ABORTION ACCESS ON THE FEDERAL LEVEL, AND STATE LEGISLATIVE PRIORITIES SUCH AS THE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH ACT, THE COMPREHENSIVE CONTRACEPTIVE COVERAGE ACT, AND SEVERAL OTHER BILLS. THIS WORK WAS CARRIED OUT THROUGH MONTHLY ACTIVIST MEETINGS, A GROWING PATIENT ADVOCACY PROGRAM, INCREASED ENGAGEMENT WITH YOUTH THROUGH THE ACTIVIST COUNCIL FOR TEENS AND YOUTH ACTIVIST COUNCIL, COLLEGE CAMPUS PROGRAMS AT SEVERAL LOCAL SCHOOLS, INTENTIONAL COMMUNITY OUTREACH IN COLLABORATION WITH THE EDUCATION DEPARTMENT, AND CONCERTED EFFORTS WITH A ROBUST NETWORK OF COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS. TO ACHIEVEADVOCACY GOALS, PPNC STRATEGICALLY AND INNOVATIVELY ORGANIZED PHONE BANKS, CANVASSES, RALLIES, LETTER-WRITING CAMPAIGNS, TRAININGS, LOBBY DAYS, AND SEVERAL OTHER EVENTS. EQUALLY IMPORTANT, PPNC COLLABORATED WITH COMMUNITY PARTNERS TO PROMOTE CIVIC ENGAGEMENT AND SOCIAL JUSTICE.