National Institute For Reproductive Health Inc

NATIONAL INSTITUTE FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, INC. WORKS TO PROTECT AND ADVANCE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE BY BUILDING POWER AT THE STATE AND LOCAL LEVEL. USING AN APPROACH THAT IS ROOTED IN PARTNERSHIPS WITH STATE AND LOCAL ADVOCATES AND LEADERS, NIRH SEEKS TO CREATE A POLICY CLIMATE THAT SUPPORTS THE FREEDOM AND ABILITY OF EACH PERSON TO CONTROL THEIR REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL LIVES, FOSTERS THRIVING FAMILIES, AND DESTIGMATIZES ABORTION AND CONTRACEPTION. IT IS THE ONLY NATIONAL ORGANIZATION FOCUSED SOLELY ON WORKING WITH STATE AND LOCAL GROUPS, USING A ROBUST PARTNERSHIP MODEL TO FIND AND IMPLEMENT CREATIVE SOLUTIONS THAT IMPROVE ACCESS TO REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE IN THEIR COMMUNITIES WHILE SIMULTANEOUSLY BUILDING THE SKILLSETS, CAPACITY, AND RANGE OF ORGANIZATIONS COMMITTED TO THIS WORK. BY ADVOCATING ALONGSIDE AND ARMING STATE AND LOCAL ADVOCATES WITH THE TOOLS THEY NEED TO ADVANCE REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM IN THEIR COMMUNITIES AND BY MAKING CONNECTIONS WITHIN AND ACROSS

STATE PROGRAMS: IN FY21, NIRH STATE PARTNERSHIPS FOCUSED ON EXPANDING EQUITABLE ACCESS TO ABORTION AND CONTRACEPTION AND ELIMINATING RACIAL AND ECONOMIC DISPARITIES IN MATERNAL HEALTH. NIRH PROVIDED STRATEGIC GUIDANCE, CAPACITY BUILDING (INCLUDING, IN MANY CASES, FUNDING), HANDS-ON TECHNICAL SUPPORT, AND NETWORKING OPPORTUNITIES TO HELP STATE-BASED ORGANIZATION-SACROSS BRAND, BASED ON SHARED GOALS-SEIZE CREATIVE OPPORTUNITIES TO INNOVATE AND BUILD CAPACITY AMONG ITS PARTNERS, WITHIN ITSELF, AND ACROSS THE MOVEMENT.IN 11 STATES (ARIZONA, COLORADO, FLORIDA, GEORGIA, NEW JERSEY, NEW MEXICO, NEW YORK, OHIO, PENNSYLVANIA, TEXAS, AND VIRGINIA), ITS FOCUS WAS ON INCREASING ACCESS TO ABORTION AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE. IN FOUR STATES (MASSACHUSETTS, MISSISSIPPI, PENNSYLVANIA, AND WISCONSIN), IT FOCUSED ITS EFFORTS ON INCREASING PATIENT-CENTERED ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTION, ESPECIALLY LONG-ACTING REVERSIBLE CONTRACEPTION. FINALLY, IN FIVE STATES (CALIFORNIA, CONNECTICUT, NEW YORK, RHODE ISLAND, AND TENNESSEE) IT ADVANCED A VISION OF BIRTHING JUSTICE, WITH A FOCUS ON ADDRESSING RACIAL INJUSTICE AND HEALTH INEQUITIES IN INSTITUTIONS SUCH AS THE MEDICAL ESTABLISHMENT AND THE CARCERAL SYSTEM.NIRH ALSO CREATED AND WIDELY DISTRIBUTED RESOURCES FOR THE MOVEMENT, INCLUDING ITS ANNUAL ROUND UP OF PROACTIVE REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND RIGHTS LEGISLATION IN THE STATES AND POLLING, SUCH AS IN NEW JERSEY, TO DEMONSTRATE THE WIDESPREAD PUBLIC SUPPORT FOR REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE AND ABORTION ACCESS. IN ADDITION, IT CONDUCTED MESSAGING TRAININGS FOR POLICYMAKERS AND ADVOCATES, PROVIDING THEM WITH THE RESEARCH-BASED TOOLS THEY NEEDED TO BE STRONG, EFFECTIVE COMMUNICATORS. FINALLY, IT CONTINUED TO HOLD REGULAR CALLS WITH ITS PARTNERS (INCLUDING COHORTS OF GROUPS WORKING ON SIMILAR ISSUES) TO BUILD CONNECTIONS ACROSS STATE LINES.

LOCAL PROGRAMS: IN PARALLEL TO ITS STATE-BASED EFFORTS, NIRH HAS ALSO INVESTED DEEPLY IN WORK AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, UNDERSTANDING THAT CITY AND COUNTY GOVERNMENTS PLAY A CRUCIAL ROLE IN ENSURING THAT PEOPLE CAN CONTROL THEIR REPRODUCTIVE AND SEXUAL LIVES, CHOOSE WHETHER AND WHEN TO BECOME PARENTS, AND GET THE SUPPORT THEY NEED TO RAISE THEIR FAMILIES. WORK AT THE LOCAL LEVEL PROVIDES AN EXCITING OPPORTUNITY TO MOVE BEYOND DEFENSE TO DEVELOP AND IMPLEMENT REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH POLICIES THAT IMPROVE AND EXPAND ACCESS TO VITAL SERVICES, EVEN IN THE MOST CONSERVATIVE STATES. NIRH'S 2021 PARTNERSHIP EFFORTS AT THE LOCAL LEVEL INCLUDED EFFORTS TO INCREASE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO ABORTION CARE IN LOS ANGELES COUNTY, CA, COOK COUNTY, IL, KALAMAZOO, MI, NEW YORK CITY, AND MULTIPLE LOCALITIES IN MINNESOTA AND OREGON; IT ALSO SUPPORTED EFFORTS TO SAFEGUARD CLINICS AND HEALTH CARE PROVIDERS AGAINST ATTACKS IN LOUISVILLE, KY. IN ADDITION, IN MULTIPLE LOCALITIES IN MARYLAND AND RHODE ISLAND, IT WORKED TO HELP ELIMINATE DISPARITIES IN MATERNAL HEALTH, INCLUDING THROUGH EXPANDED ACCESS TO DOULA CARE AND THE CREATION OF LOCAL REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE COMMISSIONS. FINALLY TO SUPPORT AND ENCOURAGE WORK AT THE LOCAL LEVEL, NIRH PUBLISHED ITS THIRD BIENNIAL LOCAL REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM INDEX. THIS PAST YEAR'S REPORT, WHICH LOOKS BACK AT HOW CITIES ADDRESSED THE INTERSECTION OF REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM WITH THE MAJOR EVENTS OF 2019-2020 (E.G., THE ONSET OF THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC, UPRISINGS FOR RACIAL JUSTICE, UNPRECEDENTED RESTRICTIONS ON ABORTION CARE, AND ATTACKS UPON VOTING), PROVIDES A ROADMAP FOR LEVERAGING THE UNIQUE POSITION THAT CITIES HOLD TO PROVIDING ACCESS TO CARE FOR THEIR RESIDENTS AND THOSE WHO TRAVEL TO THEM. WITH THE LOCAL INDEX AND ITS OTHER PUBLICATIONS, NIRH IS PROVIDING ADVOCATES AND POLICYMAKERS WITH INFORMATION, IDEAS, TOOLS, AND STRATEGIC GUIDANCE THAT THEY CAN USE TO MAKE THEIR CITIES MORE EQUITABLE PLACES TO LIVE.

TORCH IS A YOUTH FOCUSED, PEER EDUCATION PROGRAM THAT COMBINES SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH/RIGHTS/JUSTICE EDUCATION AND LEADERSHIP TRAINING FOR NEW YORK CITY BLACK AND BROWN YOUTH. THE PROGRAM INCORPORATES YOUTH DRIVEN COMMUNITY ACTION INITIATIVES AND FOSTERS STRONG COMMUNITY PARTNERSHIPS TO PROVIDE KNOWLEDGE AND EMPOWERMENT OPPORTUNITIES FOR YOUNG PEOPLE TO MAKE INFORMED CHOICES; TO CREATE A NEW GENERATION OF THE SEXUAL REPRODUCTIVE JUSTICE MOVEMENT BY FOSTERING AWARENESS AND ACTIVISM; AND TO OFFER ACCESSIBLE COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION, THAT IS MEDICALLY ACCURATE AND INCLUSIVE OF VARIOUS IDENTITIES AND EXPERIENCES.PROGRAM SERVICE ACCOMPLISHMENTS: OF COMMUNITY-BASED ORGANIZATIONS ON TOPICS RANGING FROM CONTRACEPTION TO HEALTHY ADOLESCENT RELATIONSHIPS TO EXPLORING GENDER IDENTITY TO BODY IMAGE AND SELF-ESTEEM. TORCH PEER LEADERS ALSO DEVELOPED AND FACILITATED AN ENTIRELY YOUTH LED TEEN NIGHT ON RAPE CULTURE. OVER 40 YOUNG PEOPLE FROM ACROSS NYC PARTICIPATED IN THIS EVENT. ADDITIONALLY, TORCH STAFF PRESENTED AT TWO NATIONAL CONFERENCES ON THE INTERSECTIONALITY OF RACE AND SEXUALITY AND HOW TO ADVANCE SOCIAL JUSTICE IN THE SEX ED CLASSROOM. TORCH CONTINUED TO STRENGTHEN COMMUNITY RELATIONSHIPS IN THE BRONX AND BROOKLYN TO BUILD ON THE COMPREHENSIVE SITE PROJECT WHICH WILL BRING YOUTH INFORMED COMPREHENSIVE SEXUALITY EDUCATION TO NYC PUBLIC SCHOOL STUDENTS IN LOW NO RESOURCE NEIGHBORHOODS DURING THE SCHOOL DAY.