Power To Decide

POWER TO DECIDE'S MISSION IS TO ADVANCE SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE WELL-BEING FOR ALL.

SYSTEMS AND PRACTICES: ADVANCING REPRODUCTIVE WELL-BEING: REPRODUCTIVE WELL-BEING (RWB) IS CENTERED AROUND THE IDEA THAT ALL PEOPLE HAVE EQUITABLE ACCESS TO THE INFORMATION, SERVICES, SYSTEMS, AND SUPPORT THAT THEY NEED TO HAVE CONTROL OVER THEIR BODIES, AND TO MAKE THEIR OWN DECISIONS RELATED TO SEXUALITY AND REPRODUCTION THROUGHOUT THEIR LIVES. IT IS THIS CULMINATION OF EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND IN-DEPTH INTERVIEWS WITH MORE THAN 300 STAKEHOLDERS, EXPERTS, AND PROVIDERS IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, RIGHTS, AND JUSTICE THAT LAID THE FOUNDATION FOR THE RWB FRAMEWORK. THIS NATIONAL BLUEPRINT FOR ACTION SEEKS THROUGH COLLABORATION TO DESIGN SYSTEMS TO SUPPORT AND HELP INDIVIDUALS ACHIEVE THEIR REPRODUCTIVE WELL-BEING GOALS. IN JUNE 2022, PTD'S WORK LEADING THE CHARGE IN REPRODUCTIVE WELL-BEING WAS FEATURED IN AN ARTICLE PUBLISHED BY THE AMERICAN JOURNAL OF PUBLIC HEALTH. THIS ARTICLE EXPLORED THIS NEW AND INNOVATIVE REPRODUCTIVE WELL-BEING FRAMEWORK, DEVELOPED BY MORE THAN 50 NATIONAL, STATE, AND LOCAL ORGANIZATIONS THAT WERE CONVENED BY PTD, TO BETTER UNDERSTAND THE SYSTEMS-LEVEL GAPS THAT TOO OFTEN CAUSE A DIVERGENCE BETWEEN PEOPLE'S STATED DESIRES TO PREVENT PREGNANCY AND THEIR CONTRACEPTIVE DECISION MAKING AND USE.THE CONTRACEPTIVE EQUITY INITIATIVE WAS LAUNCHED IN 2021 AND AIMS TO ADDRESS BIRTH CONTROL ACCESS BARRIERS BY EXPANDING RESEARCH EFFORTS TO ELUCIDATE AND FURTHER DESCRIBE THE NATURE OF THESE BARRIERS AND FURTHER DEFINE THE PREFERENCE OF PEOPLE AND COMMUNITIES REGARDING CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS. THIS PROJECT ALSO SEEKS TO BOLSTER POLICY EFFORTS REGARDING CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS AND CONVENE LEADERS FROM STATE AND REGIONAL CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS PROJECTS TO FOSTER SHARED LEARNING, SYNERGY, AND EFFICIENCY AMONG THESE INITIATIVES. THE THREE CORE ASPECTS OF THIS EFFORT INCLUDE: EXPANDING RESEARCH EFFORTS RELATED TO CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS; BOLSTER POLICY EFFORTS TO SUPPORT CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS; AND CONVENING A SHARED LEARNING COLLABORATIVE OF REGIONAL & STATE-BASED CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS PROJECTS. TO LEARN MORE ABOUT THESE CORE ASPECTS, PLEASE VISIT POWERTODECIDE.ORG/CEI.

PUBLIC POLICY:POWER TO DECIDE'S POLICY WORK FOCUSES ON PROTECTING AND EXPANDING POLICIES THAT EMPOWER PEOPLE TO DECIDE IF, WHEN, AND UNDER WHAT CIRCUMSTANCES TO GET PREGNANT AND HAVE A CHILD WITH A FOCUS ON ADDRESSING THOSE WHO FACE THE GREATEST BARRIERS TO THE INFORMATION AND CARE THEY NEED. THESE POLICIES AND PROGRAMS ENABLE PEOPLE TO ACHIEVE THEIR REPRODUCTIVE WELL-BEING AND THEIR OWN GOALS FOR THEMSELVES AND THEIR FAMILIES.A RECENT EXAMPLE OF POWER TO DECIDE'S FEDERAL POLICY WORK:THE REPORT WHEN YOUR BIRTH CONTROL ISN'T COVERED EXAMINES HEALTH PLAN VIOLATIONS OF THE ACA CONTRACEPTIVE COVERAGE REQUIREMENT. TO DATE THIS REPORT HAS GARNERED EXTENSIVE MEDIA COVERAGE AND BEHIND-THE-SCENES INQUIRIES FROM THE DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH AND HUMAN SERVICES AS WELL AS HOUSE AND SENATE INVESTIGATIONS OF HEALTH PLAN POLICIES AND PROCEDURES.POLICY STAFF HAVE ENGAGED IN CONCERTED ADVOCACY EFFORTSENGAGING BOTH CONGRESS AND THE BIDEN-HARRIS ADMINISTRATION IN EFFORTS TO MITIGATE THE HARMS OF DOBBS DECISION. WE HAVE PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE ON AN UNPRECEDENTED VOLUME OF PRO-REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE ACCESS BILLS INTRODUCED BY OUR CHAMPIONS IN CONGRESS DURING THAT TIME, INCLUDING WORKING TO PASS THE WOMEN'S HEALTH PROTECTION ACT IN, THE RIGHT TO CONTRACEPTION ACT, AND THE ENSURING WOMEN'S RIGHT TO REPRODUCTIVE FREEDOM ACT ON THE HOUSE FLOOR, AND PUTTING PRESSURE ON THE SENATE, WHERE SOME SENATORS HAVE BLOCKED THESE EFFORTS.LIKE OUR FEDERAL WORK, POWER TO DECIDE'S STATE WORK AIMS TO INFORM AND ADVANCE POLICIES THAT REDUCE INEQUITIES IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE COVERAGE, ACCESS, AND INFORMATION. WE HAVE CREATED A STATE CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS TOOLKIT THAT TRACKS STATE POLICIES THAT IMPROVE CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS AND MORE RECENTLY HAVE INCLUDED STATE TELEHEALTH POLICIES BEFORE, DURING, AND AFTER DECLARED PUBLIC HEALTH EMERGENCIES. IN THE LAST YEAR ALONE, THIS TOOLKIT HAS BEEN USED BY ADVOCATES IN FIVE STATES TO PROPOSE AND ADVANCE PRO-CONTRACEPTION POLICIES. WE HAVE ALSO PROVIDED TECHNICAL ASSISTANCE TO ADDITIONAL STATES AS THEY THINK THROUGH HOW TO MOVE THESE POLICIES FORWARD. OUR STATE POLICY WORK ALSO ADDRESSES ABORTION ACCESS AT THE STATE LEVEL. WE MONITOR STATE LEGISLATION IMPACTING ABORTION ACCESS AS WELL AS CONTRACEPTION, AND THAT INFORMATION INFORMS THE STATE-BY-STATE GUIDE ON ABORTIONFINDER.ORG.

MARKETING AND COMMUNICATIONS: A KEY COMPONENT OF OUR STRATEGY TO ENSURE REPRODUCTIVE WELL-BEING FOR ALL IS THROUGH STRATEGIC COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGNS, LIKE THE #THXBIRTHCONTROL CAMPAIGN. #THXBIRTHCONTROL IS OUR AWARD-WINNING CAMPAIGN THAT PROMOTES, ACKNOWLEDGES, AND CELEBRATES HOW MUCH CONTRACEPTION MAKES POSSIBLE FOR EVERYONE. BY MAKING CONTRACEPTION A NORMAL PART OF SOCIAL DIALOGUE, WE ARE REMOVING CONTROVERSY AND EXPANDING TO ACCESS TO EDUCATIONAL INFORMATION ABOUT BIRTH CONTROL AND CONTRACEPTION. IN 2022, THANKS, BIRTH CONTROL GARNERED 105M IMPRESSIONS, 8K MENTIONS OF THE HASHTAG, AND 53.9M ENGAGEMENTS AN 116% INCREASE IN ENGAGEMENTS YEAR OVER YEAR.#ASKDRRAEGAN IS A DYNAMIC CONTENT SERIES POSTED ACROSS POWER TO DECIDE AND BEDSIDER'S SOCIAL MEDIA CHANNELS AND WEBSITES. THIS SERIES BRINGS EVIDENCE-BASED INFORMATION ABOUT SEXUALITY, HEALTH CARE AND BIRTH CONTROL TO SOCIAL MEDIA, INCLUDING TWITTER, TIK-TOK, AND YOUTUBE. DURING #ASKDRRAEGAN "OFFICE HOURS", POWER TO DECIDE'S CEO, DR. RAEGAN MCDONALD-MOSLEY, ANSWERS PEOPLE'S BURNING QUESTIONS ABOUT THEIR SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH.FOR MORE THAN 20 YEARS, WE HAVE PARTNERED WITH POPULAR CULTURE AND ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRIES TO ENCOURAGE AND INFORM STORIES ABOUT SEX, LOVE, RELATIONSHIPS, BIRTH CONTROL AND THE CONTEXT IN WHICH IT ALL HAPPENS. FROM MTV'S TEEN MOM AND FREEFORM'S GROWN-ISH TO MARIE CLAIRE AND COSMOPOLITAN, POWER TO DECIDE PARTNERS WITH LEADERS AND INFLUENCERS IN THE ENTERTAINMENT INDUSTRY AND POPULAR CULTURE TO TALK ABOUT SEXUAL HEALTH, RELATIONSHIPS, AND BIRTH CONTROL IN A RELEVANT, APPROACHABLE WAY. THIS INNOVATIVE AND INFORMATIVE NORM- AND ATTITUDE -CHANGING WORK IS DONE MAINLY THROUGH BEHIND THE SCENES CONSULTATION WITH SHOWRUNNERS, EDITORS, AND WRITERS. WE WORK IN COLLABORATION TO INTEGRATE CONTENT ABOUT SEXUAL HEALTH AND RELATIONSHIPS INTO POPULAR MEDIA.

DIGITAL PROGRAMS:BEDSIDER.ORG IS AN EVIDENCE-BASED DIGITAL PLATFORM THAT OFFERS MEDICALLY ACCURATE, RELEVANT, AND RESONANT INFORMATION ON SEX, SEXUAL HEALTH, AND BIRTH CONTROL. FOR OVER 10 YEARS, BEDSIDER HAS SUPPORTED 63 MILLION USERS IN MAKING AUTONOMOUS, FULLY INFORMED CHOICES ABOUT THEIR SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH. BEDSIDER REACHES NEARLY 3 MILLION UNIQUE USERS EACH YEAR, WITH AN AVERAGE OF 289,000 VISITS PER MONTH, AND HAS BECOME THE NATION'S GO-TO RESOURCE ON BIRTH CONTROL.BEDSIDER PROVIDES CONTENT THAT IS INDEPENDENT, HONEST, UNBIASED, AND ACCURATE- IN A VOICE THAT RESONATES WITH YOUNG PEOPLE. BEDSIDER IS AVAILABLE IN ENGLISH AND SPANISH, AND ALL CONTENT IS VETTED BY MEDICAL PROFESSIONALS. BEDSIDER IS BASED ON EXTENSIVE RESEARCH AND A DEEP UNDERSTANDING OF OUR TARGET AUDIENCE (PEOPLE AGED 18-29) AS WELL AS OUR IN-HOUSE EXPERTISE IN REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH, HEALTH BEHAVIOR CHANGE, HEALTH EDUCATION AND HEALTH COMMUNICATIONS.BEDSIDER PROVIDERS IS A DIGITAL PLATFORM THAT SERVES AS A COMPANION SITE TO BEDSIDER, AND ALLOWS POWER TO DECIDE THE ABILITY TO REACH AND ENGAGE WITH PROVIDER AUDIENCES. THIS PLATFORM OFFERS HIGH-QUALITY, EVIDENCE-INFORMED SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH CARE IN SUPPORT OF PEOPLE'S REPRODUCTIVE WELL-BEING GOALS. WE EVALUATE, DISSEMINATE, AND DEVELOP BEDSIDER CLINIC MATERIALS AND TOOLS IN ENGLISH, SPANISH AND OTHER LANGUAGES. A SURVEY OF PROVIDERS WHO ARE PART OF THE "BEDSIDER PROVIDER" NETWORK FOUND THAT 90% REPORTED THAT BEDSIDER MATERIALS WERE HELPFUL IN THEIR INTERACTIONS WITH PATIENTS.WE ARE CURRENTLY PILOT TESTING A NEW SET OF CHARTS THAT WE DEVELOPED IN CONJUNCTION WITH UCSF BEYOND THE PILL THAT PROVIDES A VISUAL GUIDE TO CONTRACEPTIVE METHODS BASED ON COMMON CONSIDERATIONS PEOPLE WEIGH WHEN PICKING A METHOD, SUCH AS PRIVACY, SIDE EFFECTS, MENSTRUAL CHANGES, WHETHER A PROVIDER IS NEEDED TO START OR STOP THE METHOD, RETURN TO FERTILITY, AND EFFECTIVENESS.BCBENEFITS, A CONTRACEPTIVE ACCESS FUND, WAS LAUNCHED IN 2019 TO SUPPORT PEOPLE IN ACCESSING THE BIRTH CONTROL METHOD THAT IS RIGHT FOR THEM. BCBENEFITS WORKS TO ALLEVIATE COST BARRIERS OF BIRTH CONTROL ACCESS FOR PEOPLE LIVING AT OR UP TO 250% OF THE FEDERAL POVERTY. IN 2022, BCBENEFITS PROVIDED MORE THAN 1,500 PEOPLE WITH VOUCHERS TO ACCESS TO A YEAR'S WORTH OF CONTRACEPTION THROUGH TELEHEALTH SERVICES OR BY PROVIDING SUPPORT FOR TRANSPORTATION COSTS ASSOCIATED WITH AN APPOINTMENT FOR CONTRACEPTION.ABORTIONFINDER.ORG, MAKES THE PROCESS OF WHERE AND HOW TO GET AN ABORTION EASIER. TO THAT END, THE PLATFORM IS AN EASY-TO-USE SEARCH TOOL BUILT ON A DATABASE OF NEARLY750 ABORTION PROVIDERS ACROSS THE COUNTRY, REGULARLY VERIFIED BY STAFF AT PTD. SINCE ITS LAUNCH, A STATE-BY-STATE GUIDE WAS DEVELOPED TO PROVIDE INFORMATION ABOUT WHAT TO EXPECT IN EACH STATE. ABORTIONFINDER.ORG IS AVAILABLE IN BOTH ENGLISH AND SPANISH, AND VIA TEXT MESSAGE SERVICES. UTILIZING THE SAME DATABASE, THE NAVIGATE PLATFORMA CENTRALIZED DIGITAL TOOL FOR PATIENT NAVIGATORS ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS TO USE FOR MAKING REFERRALS AND CONNECTING WITH OTHER PATIENT NAVIGATORS. THE GOALS OF NAVIGATE ARE TO HELP PATIENT NAVIGATORS REMOVE THE BARRIERS ABORTION SEEKERS EXPERIENCE, TO EMPOWER NAVIGATORS TO HELP ABORTION SEEKERS QUICKLY AND EFFECTIVELY GET THE CARE AND SUPPORT THEY NEED, AND TO PROVIDE A SECURE, SHARED COMMUNITY SPACE THAT CAN FACILITATE IMPROVED CARE COORDINATION ACROSS ORGANIZATIONS.THE RIGHT TIME INITIATIVE IS THE ONLY EFFORT OF ITS KIND THAT FOCUSES ON IMPROVING ACCESS TO CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES. THROUGH A NETWORK OF AFFILIATED HEALTH CENTERS, THE RIGHT TIME MAKES ALL METHODS OF CONTRACEPTION AVAILABLE AT LOW OR NO-COST TO ALL THOSE WHO NEED THEM THE INITIATIVE EMPOWERS INDIVIDUALS IN MISSOURI TO TAKE CONTROL OF THEIR OWN HEALTH BY IMPROVING INFORMATION ABOUT, AND REMOVING BARRIERS TO, QUALITY CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES. TO DATE, THE INITIATIVE HAS PROVIDED QUALITY CONTRACEPTIVE SERVICES TO MORE THAN 50,000 PEOPLE. THE RIGHT TIME IS SUPPORTED BY A LARGE COMMUNICATIONS CAMPAIGN THAT INCLUDES A WEBSITE THAT WELCOMES ABOUT 40,000 MISSOURI VISITORS EACH YEAR, A LARGE DIGITAL ADVERTISING CAMPAIGN, AND MARKETING MATERIALS FOR HEALTH CENTERS AND SUPPORTING ORGANIZATIONS.LAUNCHED IN JULY 2022, ARKANSASBIRTHCONTROL.ORG, WELCOMED 40,000 VISITORS IN ITS FIRST THREE MONTHSA PACE OF 240,000 ANNUALLY. WITH INPUT FROM YOUNG PEOPLE IN ARKANSAS, THE WEBSITE INCLUDES AUTHORITATIVE, ACCESSIBLE, AND DETAILED INFORMATION ON BIRTH CONTROL METHODS, AN ONLINE TOOL THAT ALLOWS USERS TO COMPARE DIFFERENT METHODS SIDE-BY-SIDE, A COMPREHENSIVE DATABASE OF HEALTH CENTERS ACROSS THE STATE, AND ANSWERS TO FREQUENTLY ASKED QUESTIONS FROM YOUNG PEOPLE ABOUT CONTRACEPTION.