PPLA Annual Report 2018-2019

Growing together.

Board of Directors 2019-2020

CHAIR

Donna L. Schweers

VICE CHAIRS

Arthur J. Ochoa, JD

The Hon. Abbe Land

Martha Swiller

Catherine L. Unger

TREASURER

Paul C. Williams

SECRETARY

Cornelia B. Daly, MD

Kathryn Amira

Rupa Balasubramanian

Russell A. Belinsky

Renée Delphin-Rodriguez

Laura Unger Dudley

Kristi Henderson

The Hon. Sydney Kamlager-Dove

Luis López

Yvette Martinez

Amarita Natt

Marcia Bergren Pine

Sheryl A. Ross, MD

Jason D. Russell, Esq.

Debra Spector

Carolyn Strauss

Amelia Warren Tyagi

Rick Zbur

HonoRARY DIRECToRS

John Hotchkis, in memoriam

Charles T. Munger

Owen B. Patotzka

Senior Management

Sue Dunlap, PRESIDEnT AnD CEo

Susan Bradley, MBA, CHIEf oPERATIng offICER

Andrea Leti, MEng, VICE PRESIDEnT of BUSInESS DEVEloPmEnT

Anne Matining, RN, MBA, VICE PRESIDEnT of PATIEnT SERVICES

Kevin Oliver, JD, CHIEf lEgAl CoUnSEl

Linda Pahl, MBA, CMA, CHIEf fInAnCIAl offICER

Nicole Ressa, VICE PRESIDEnT of EDUCATIon

Rachel Rodriguez, SHRM-CP, VICE PRESIDEnT of HUmAn RESoURCES

David Speiser, MD, FACOG, FACS, mEDICAl DIRECToR

Margot Taylor, SEnIoR DIRECToR of STRATEgIC InITIATIVES

Celinda Vázquez, CHIEf EXTERnAl AffAIRS offICER

Bess Walkes, VICE PRESIDEnT of DEVEloPmEnT

Dear Friends:

I’m writing to you in early January of 2020, from the vantage point of having opened seven new health centers in as many months (Carson, Compton, and five high school sites) while we simultaneously expand the scope of our work. This expanded scope includes curricula that for the first time contain information about substance abuse and its connection to sexual health, an initial foray into a partnership with Children’s Hospital to enhance and expand Planned Parenthood’s work with adolescents, and early steps, including the addition of three licensed mental health providers, toward providing behavioral health services. All of this work and more (!) is happening now.

But it’s my job in this report to talk to you about fiscal year 2019, not to tell you about the important work we are doing today.

In 2019, thanks to your generosity and dedication, we set the stage for rapid growth — some of which I touched on above. The work of getting ready for this growth included revamping our electronic health records, re-thinking our billing systems, expanding the footprint of our call center, developing our in-house training department, and increasing the sophistication and capacity of our teams in the areas of cultural competency, disaster preparedness, business development, trauma informed care, uses of technology in health care, and basic management.

In 2019 we set the stage for rapid growth.

Alongside this work of setting the stage, we took our partnership with Cedars-Sinai to the next level. In 2013, we began working closely with CedarsSinai in the context of training doctors in surgical abortion practices. In 2018, we began a program with Cedars-Sinai’s OB-GYN medical residents to enable the provision of advanced OB-GYN services to PPLA patients and to enhance the training of the next generation of OB-GYNs. These advanced services include cancer screenings, treatments for conditions such as polycystic ovarian syndrome, and other related health issues.

One example of this program improving patient’s lives is that of a woman who has a history of abnormal Pap smears. After a series of tests that showed abnormal findings, it was clear she would need surgery. The PPLA/Cedars-Sinai team was able to get her to the right surgeon at CedarsSinai, was able to get her financial assistance for this advanced care, and then supported her return to the PPLA clinic for ongoing care following the minimally invasive procedure she needed. While most of PPLA’s patients do not require this level of care or specialization, for those that do it can be a matter of life and death. We are very grateful to be able to provide more to our patients by way of this partnership between Cedars-Sinai and PPLA. Another issue that has been on many of your minds (thank you for the calls, questions, and notes!) is the future of abortion access across the United States. I am so grateful to live and work in a community that supports Roe v. Wade and access to abortion. Along with this gratitude comes responsibility. It has long been the role of PPLA to prepare for the day when more and more women might need to travel across state lines or international borders to access abortion.

In fact, a week rarely goes by that PPLA doesn’t see or hear from women and families that live hundreds of miles from Los Angeles. We know we have to be ready for whatever the future may hold even as we fight for all women to have access to abortion in their own communities. For PPLA, being ready continues to mean training the doctors and providers of the future, working with and supporting law students and schools (most notably UCLA Law), ensuring that we have strong partnerships with other service providers, and continuing to plan for more and more women needing to come to Los Angeles for abortion services.

I’ve only touched on a few of the important initiatives that PPLA is pushing ahead on. But I want you to know that we at PPLA share your concerns — we too see the tremendous inequities that define day to day life for too many in our Los Angeles community.

As we expand the footprint and scope of the work of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles please know that we do so with a lens to the future. My hope is that as you read through these pages you get a glimpse of the Los Angeles you aspire to and imagine. One that celebrates the values and mission of Planned Parenthood.

Sue Dunlap President & CEO

As we expand the scope of the work of PPLA, we do so with a lens to the future.

As a graduate student and single mother, I do not have and can’t afford medical coverage. Planned Parenthood provides me important preventative care with pelvic and breast exams, and assistance with and access to birth control and protection options. Without their services, I wouldn’t be able to afford this important care.

—PPlA PATIEnT

Care

At the heart of our mission is the belief that everyone deserves access to high quality care. Planned Parenthood Los Angeles is committed to providing the best care possible to our patients. We strive to provide high quality care that also respects our patient’s time and provides exceptional customer service.

Planned Parenthood patients often juggle school, work, transportation issues, and family responsibilities. A long wait for an appointment can mean that patients forfeit care. We continue to strive to decrease patient wait times. With approximately half of our patients being “walk-ins” — meaning they don’t have an appointment scheduled when they come to our health centers for any routine appointment — we strive to see all of our patients within 20 minutes of arrival. On average, we succeed in meeting this goal. And consistently receive very high scores when it comes to customer service. This was particularly notable this year, as we maintained these markers while simultaneously modernizing our infrastructure and systems.

Last year, more than 300,000 women and men depended on the doctors, nurses, clinicians, and call center agents of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles for guidance, information, and care. As you review the numbers on these pages please also pause and consider the lived experience — every number represents a person, a moment, a story.

I can count on PPLA for professional reproductive and sexual health care, since I don’t have medical insurance. They are the only ones I can go to for questions.

—PPlA PATIEnT

Health Services by

340,759 Calls answered

Health Services by Patient Age

251,489 Patient visits

75% Patients living at or below the federal poverty line*

*Federal Poverty Line for a household of four is an annual income is $25,750.

Health Services Summary

9,777

CAnCER SCREEnIng & TREATmEnT

1,188,828 ConDomS

196 PREnATAl CARE VISITS

321 VASECTomIES

When I needed an abortion and my doctor would not perform one, PP was there. I’ll never forget how safe I felt. —PPlA

Educate

PPLA is proud to have earned a reputation amongst teens as a place to receive high-quality, judgement-free sexual health care and information and to be known throughout the region as a leader in teen-centered care. This year, PPLA partnered with the LA County Department of Public Health (DPH) to develop a curriculum dedicated to promoting sexual health, social/emotional well-being, and health affirming actions. This curriculum is inclusive of transgender and gender identity issues and integrates behavioral health topics such as substance use disorder and mental health. PPLA Educators are working across Los Angeles County to train youth-serving professionals in the delivery of this comprehensive curriculum and to build the capacity of schools to deliver high-quality sexual health education.

PPLA recognizes that some teens do not feel comfortable reaching out to adults about sexual and reproductive health, preferring to discuss these topics with peers. Peers help change social norms by promoting healthy relationships and equality, while also destigmatizing sexual health issues and providing safer sex information to reduce the rates of unintended pregnancy and STIs. PPLA recently trained DPH Health Educators in mentoring youth leaders to serve as resources for sexual health information through highlyeffective, prevention-focused outreach at their schools. Parent education on issues in teen health is a vital component of PPLA’s approach to teen-centered care. PPLA’s Promotoras provide outreach and education to Spanish speaking parents throughout Los Angeles County. Through PPLA’s evidence-based curriculum covering sexuality, gender, contraception, STI/HIV prevention, anatomy, self-esteem, LGBT acceptance, substance use prevention, and parentchild communication, our Promotoras foster parent engagement to help combat risky behaviors amongst teens.

Before I took this class, I was embarrassed and lacked skills but now I feel more confident in talking to my child.

12,790

Youth reached by peer advocates

6,771 middle and high school students that received sex education

412 Youth-serving professionals trained

37,204 Adults reached by Promotoras

430 Parents reached through lgBT family Acceptance

Curriculum

400 Parents reached through Parent-Teen Communication Workshop

57,990

Total community members reached through education & training

Words cannot describe how grateful I am for this program. I am proud to be a Peer Advocate and I aspire to work for Planned Parenthood one day.

Advocate

In any given year there is always the work we plan for, and then there is the work that comes to us. In recent years, the work that has come to us has been particularly disheartening. Abortion bans, concerns about the Supreme Court, the future of Roe v. Wade, an increasingly politicized federal judiciary — it seems to be one thing after another.

We have long talked about the chipping away at Roe but recently the chipping has turned into a full on assault. Planned Parenthoods and other providers are increasingly planning to support women and families in crossing state lines in need of abortion. This is no longer an abstraction but a body of work that is being undertaken all across the country. Here in Los Angeles we have long supported women who travel great distances for care and we know that we will be called on to do more. Thanks to your support, we are and will be ready — no matter what.

Part of being ready is ensuring that we are building an organization that not only meets today’s challenges head on but that also prepares for the unknowns that are inevitably around the corner. This year in California, we successfully worked with the state legislature and other partners to create more opportunity and access around telehealth through AB 744. And after many years of trying and failing, we successfully increased reimbursement in Medi-Cal for several family planning services, including IUDs. In California, we must continue to fight for the future even as we strive to protect the gains of the past.

Planned Parenthood saved my life and I don’t know what would happen to me if this organization did not exist.

—PPlA PATIEnT

We understand how important it is to stand with Planned Parenthood, now and always. That’s why we are proud Friends by Choice members. We support PPLA’s critical work in protecting access to reproductive health care for the women, men and teens in our community regardless of race, religion, sexual orientation, gender, income, or country of origin.

—AllISon Bloom AnD gABRIEl mAnn