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planned parenthood of south florida and the treasure coast planned parenthood insider july 2011 a newsletter officials officials from ppsftc president lillian tamayo a newsletter for elected for electedfrom ppsftc president lillian tamayo planned parenthood s free pap days a message from lillian tamayo my affiliate staff and i are proud to bring you this issue of the planned parenthood insider a newsletter specifically designed for the needs and interests of south florida s elected officials for 40 years our affiliate has provided reproductive health care throughout south florida and the treasure coast one of our most important goals is to educate the community in all areas of responsible human sexuality in this issue of the planned parenthood insider you will find the results of these efforts in the community on college campuses and in our health centers please contact us with any questions or concerns sincerely lillian a tamayo president/ceo pap smears save lives the test can detect cervical cancer and early detection helps women get the treatment they need to survive unfortunately too many women in south florida are like these four women they can t afford to pay for life-saving screenings because they re underinsured or completely uninsured our mission is to ensure broad public access to quality reproductive the four women pictured above health care our affiliate health received free cervical cancer screenings centers have consistently offered at our lake worth planned parenthood free pap days this year we ve health center during one of this year s seen more than 80 women at 3 free pap days they shared their health centers with another free pap stories of lost jobs and lost insurance day coming up in miami later this or the sad reality of family members month we ve provided screenings and loved ones who died too soon at no cost to patients and heard from undetected untreated cancer their powerful stories time and time most importantly these women told again these women have always us they needed to be healthy for their shared one common sentiment families and their children all four women had one thing in common thank you planned without planned parenthood s free pap days they would have gone untested parenthood parenthood for cervical cancer.

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reflecting on griswold v connecticut access to family planning is directly linked to declines in maternal and infant mortality rates in 2005 pregnancy-related deaths were down 52 percent from 1965 while the number of women in the u.s labor force more than doubled unfortunately there s still a very long way to go for millions of american women birth control is unaffordable for uninsured women the out-of-pocket costs are prohibitive even for women who have health insurance the related co-payments are simply too much to afford forty-six years ago this june the u.s supreme court decided griswold v connecticut striking down a law that made it illegal for married couples to use birth control fortyforty-six years ago women often had very few choices when it came to planning their lives and their families as a result they were studies show that when cost barriers are removed women switch quickly to more effective methods and experience fewer unintended pregnancies as a result a critical more likely to experience poor health outcomes outcome in a nation where nearly half of all and their children were too these women pregnancies are unintended faced enormous barriers in pursuing ultimately removing cost barriers to birth educational and professional goals control could mean and communities did you know as much today as suffered as a result more than 60 of women aged 15 to 44 some 38 million are using some contraceptive method at any given time the griswold case set women and our country on a new the affordable care healthier path today coa typical annual co-payment for birth control act holds great family planning is widely pills ranges between $180 and $600 promise for recognized by the expanding access medical community as to birth control integral to improving when millions of women become insured for women s health and the health of their children the first time under the new law the health for many women access to birth control has made the difference between going to college or care including birth control they have not pursuing the career they wanted or not or gone without for so long will finally be attainable even having a healthy pregnancy or not not surprisingly communities are healthier than they the griswold anniversary is not only a were in 1965 time to celebrate but also an occasion when women plan their pregnancies they are health as we mark the anniversary of more likely to seek prenatal care improving their the griswold decision let s resolve to own health and the health of their children removing legal barriers did a half-century ago half to recommit to improving our nation s keep building on its legacy page 3

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vox voices for planned parenthood a student s perspective i joined the florida atlantic university fau chapter of vox voices for planned parenthood because i wanted to help spread the word about safe sex and access to contraception let s face facts young men and women are having sex but many are not educated on how to prevent pregnancies or avoid sexually transmitted infections and hiv/aids i became interested in joining vox when i saw a planned parenthood event on campus during fau s weeks of welcome last year since joining vox i ve learned so much met great friends and had lots of fun spreading the word about sexual health last summer i participated in an advocacy boot camp where i learned grassroots organizing skills that i ve since put to use we have had huge success with petitioning for responsible appropriate sex education in schools and improved access to affordable and free birth control during a nationwide effort to educate communities about the need for insurance coverage of birth control fau s vox chapter collected over 700 signatures on a petition that we submitted to congress on aids awareness day december 1st we passed out over 500 condoms and red ribbons to fellow students we ve also been working on campus to gather support for planned parenthood during the recent attacks this coming academic year will be even bigger and better than last year for fau vox and we can t wait christina stanley is currently serving her second term as president of vox voices for planned parenthood at florida atlantic university in boca raton christina is pictured at left with fau vox vice president lily moss at right planned parenthood from a patient s perspective there is nothing more compelling than local planned parenthood stories told in our patients own words the real stories in this column demonstrate the need to increase access to affordable high-quality reproductive health care services page 3

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2300 n florida mango road west palm beach florida 33409 it s hard to imagine a world without planned parenthood trusted provider educator advocate to schedule a health center tour or to reach our public affairs staff judith selzer vp of public policy and communications 561.472.9940 786.594.4740 did you know 15­ in florida 29 of women aged 15­44 are nationally uninsured compared with 22 nationally our breast health education programs have reached more than 100,000 people since 2001 mayte canino government relations manager 786.594.4741 takeata king pang communications manager 561.472.9942 craig plazure public affairs coordinator 561.472.9941 public_affairs@ppsoflo.org www.ppsoflo.org

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