World AIDS Day March in Redding A Success! - 12/12/07

To commemorate World AIDS Day, Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo health centers offered free or low-cost HIV screenings. In Redding (Shasta county), a march was held to raise awareness about HIV prevention, celebrate the strength of those living with HIV/AIDS, and to remember those we've lost. 35 people participated in the march which ended at the Planned Parenthood health center in Redding where HIV screenings were made available. Here are some of the pictures from that great event:

Teen Births Are On The Rise, But California Remains Low - 12/6/07

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reports that teen births in the United States are on the rise, but California still remains the lowest in the nation. Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo (PPSD) has the largest community service and education department in the country, focusing on the prevention of teen pregnancy, transmission of sexually transmitted infections and HIV, and the need for abortion. Visit PPSD's Web site for more information about our education programs.

Report: U.S. teen births rise

By MIKE STOBBE, AP Medical Writer1 hour, 33 minutes ago

The nation's teen birth rate has risen for the first time in 14 years, according to a new government report.

The birth rate had been dropping since 1991. The decline had slowed in recent years, but government statisticians said Wednesday it jumped 3 percent from 2005 to 2006.

"It took us by surprise," said Stephanie Ventura of the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a co-author of the report.

The birth data for 2006 also showed births to unmarried mothers hit a new record high, and the overall birth rate has climbed to its highest level since 1971.

The teen increase was based on the 15-19 age group, which accounted for about 99 percent of the more than 440,000 births to teens in 2006.

The rate rose to 41.9 live births per 1,000 females in that age group, up from 40.5 in 2005
Benefits are big when kids stop having kids

By Daniel Weintraub - dweintraub@sacbee.com

Published 12:00 am PST Sunday, November 25, 2007
Story appeared in FORUM section, Page E4

Births to teenage mothers – one of the leading causes of social dysfunction – have dropped dramatically since 1991, and the rate in California is now the lowest ever recorded for the state, according to a new study. This trend, which has received relatively little notice, appears to be both a product of a cultural shift and the harbinger of more to come. It is great news.

The children of teen mothers are widely believed to be less healthy, more prone to abuse, poorer, less educated, more often placed in foster homes and more likely to become criminals. One state study put the price to taxpayers for just some of these problems at more than $1 billion a year.

But all of that might soon be changing. Teen birth rates have fallen dramatically in the past 15 years, according to a new report by Hans Johnson of the Public Policy Institute of California, a nonpartisan research organization. From a peak of about 74 births per 1,000 teens aged 15 to 19 in 1991, the rate by 2005 had dropped to 38 per 1,000 teens. And the rate is dropping for all ethnic groups.

The rate for whites has declined from 43 per 1,000 teens to 15. For blacks, it has plunged from 105 to about 40. For Asians, it has dropped from 30 to 12. And among Latinas, the teen birth rate has declined from 119 per 1,000 teens in 1991 to about 67 today.

While as a group Latinas still have the highest teen birth rates, by far, their experience is a big part of this story. A surge in the number of young Latina immigrants after changes in U.S. immigration laws in the 1980s contributed to a big increase in teen births here. As men who were here illegally gained legal status, many brought their families to join them from their native countries.

The girls who were part of that immigration wave came from a culture where young mothers and large families were the norm, and they helped drive up fertility rates and teen birth rates in California. The teen birth rate had reached a low of 48 per 1,000 teens in 1984. But by 1991 – five years after the last big amnesty for illegal immigrants – the teen birth rate in California was at a new high.

"There was a catch-up effect," Johnson says. "It was a mini-baby boom."

But most of the Latino women coming of age today were either born in the United States or grew up here. As they assimilate, they are picking up the norms of the dominant culture, having fewer children and having them later in life.

The immigrant experience, however, does not explain why rates for blacks and whites are also plummeting.

One explanation for that phenomenon is the increasing acceptance of sex education, birth control and abortion. Birth control experts have lauded California for having the best sex education and birth control programs in the nation. Those programs have likely helped persuade many girls to postpone motherhood.

Another is welfare reform. Changes in federal and state laws in the mid-1990s put time limits on public assistance for poor women with children and required that able-bodied recipients to go to school or work. Teen birth rates were already dropping by the time those laws kicked in, but making it less attractive for poor young women to have children has probably contributed to the decline.

The overriding factor may simply be the cultural changes that have come with the economic emancipation of women. A generation ago, it was still common for teenage girls to marry young and have children, putting off a career for many years and perhaps forever. Today, though, a majority of college students are women, women are in the work force in record numbers and economic opportunity for women has improved tremendously. Every teenage girl sees this. For more and more of them, it has become the norm.

"When you look at where teen birth rates are high and where they are low, you see they tend to be lowest in places that have the best economic outlook," Johnson said. "When kids look to their future, they look around, and if they are in a place where economic opportunity is available, and where economic opportunities have increased for women, that plays a role."

The implications are enormous. When kids stop having kids, everyone benefits. The children eventually born to those mothers when they are more mature and economically secure are generally better off and better cared for. And when they grow up, they are less likely to be a burden on society and a source of growing costs for taxpayers. They are probably less likely to have kids while teens themselves, which further nips the destructive cycle in the bud.

At a time when we are bombarded by bad news on every front, the downward trend in teen births seems indisputably positive. It's something that needs to be celebrated and reinforced so that it continues.

About the writer:

• Call The Bee's Daniel Weintraub, (916) 321-1914. Readers can see his blog about health care at www.sacbee.com/healthcare.

PPSD Gets Grant To Combat HIV/AIDS in Solano County - 11/30/07

Vallejo sorority gets AIDS grant

By SARA STROUD/Times-Herald staff writer

Article Launched: 11/30/2007 08:52:27 AM PST

Two agencies will be doing more to combat HIV/AIDS within Solano County with the help of grants from Kaiser Permanente.

In time for World AIDS Day - which is Saturday - Kaiser announced the allocation of $70,000 in grants: $45,000 of which will go to Planned Parenthood Shasta Diablo, while $25,000 will go to Delta Sigma Theta Sorority's Vallejo chapter.

"It's an awesome program. It's done some really good things," Kaiser Permanente community benefits specialist Cynthia Verrett said of the funding, which is part of $1.3 million in grants distributed statewide.

Each of the recipient programs focuses on at least one of the following areas: HIV/AIDS awareness, prevention, screening and diagnosis, or treatment, Verrett said.

Planned Parenthood will use its funds to help implement rapid HIV testing at its Vallejo, Fairfield, Vacaville and Napa locations.

The goal is to increase HIV screening to meet Center for Disease Control guidelines, which call for routine testing all adults regardless of perceived risk level, said Planned Parenthood vice president of medical services Phyllis Schoenwald.

Unlike traditional testing, which can take up to a few weeks to get results, rapid test outcomes are available in a matter of minutes.

"It speeds up the whole process. The whole point is to get people into care earlier," Schoenwald said.

Delta Sigma Theta sorority's funds will be used to raise awareness about HIV/AIDS in Vallejo schools.

Both Planned Parenthood and Delta Sigma Theta have received Kaiser grants in years past and have been very successful, Verrett said.

E-mail Sara Stroud at sstroud@thnewsnet.com or call 553-6833.

Vacaville Reporter speaks out about SB 94 and AB 629 - 10/17/07

Here is an excellent editorial from the Vacaville Reporter on how the Governor's signing SB 94 and AB 629 will help reduce the number of sexually transmitted infections that have recently been growing amongst teens.

Eye-opening accuracy
New legislation may address STD rates
Vacaville Reporter
Article Launched: 10/16/2007 07:56:18 AM PDT

The figures are astounding: Nearly a quarter of Solano County's high school and college age residents may have suffered new cases of sexually transmitted diseases in 2005, according to a study released last week by the California Public Health Institute.

Researchers were quick to point out that the figures don't necessarily represent any increase in disease rates - just more accurate calculations.

By applying the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's new method of calculating STD rates to California and its counties, researchers estimated that 20.6 percent of the state's 15- to 24-year-olds suffered more than 1.1 million new infections that year - more than 10 times higher than previously believed. The cases represent a lifetime treatment cost of $1 billion.
The new calculations showed that in Solano County, the 15,440 STD cases were equivalent to 23.8 percent of the young population. Lifetime treatments costs were estimated at $13 million.

The study focused on eight major STDs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, genital herpes, HPV, hepatitis B, trichomoniasis and HIV. Health care providers are required to report to the state some diseases, such as HIV. Others, such as HPV, or human papillomavirus, which may account for more than half of the estimated cases in the new report, are not subject to mandatory reporting. Hence the need to find better ways to estimate their frequency.

Researchers hope that developing a more realistic outlook on the frequency of STDs might result in more practical measures to detect, treat and prevent their spread.

It is fitting, then, that among the bills signed into law by Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger this past weekend were two that could have some effect on this problem.

Senate Bill 94 will increase the amount that MediCal pays to providers of family planning services - services that include identifying and treating STDs. The additional $24 million going to those providers may bring up to $64 million in additional federal funds to the clinics, enabling them to resume services that have been cut in recent years as they struggled to make do on a reimbursement rate that hadn't changed since 1985. To his credit, Solano's own state Sen. Michael Machado helped push this bill through the Legislature.

Assembly Bill 629, the "Sexual Health Education Accountability Act," requires that sex education in all public schools be comprehensive, medically accurate and age appropriate. Accurate education has helped California make good progress in reducing the teenage pregnancy rate. Perhaps more attention on STDs in the curriculum can help slow their spread.

Unfortunately, the governor chose to veto Assembly Bill 1429, a measure carried by Solano County Assemblywoman Noreen Evans that would have required most insurance companies to cover the costs of vaccinating women against HPV, which can lead to cervical cancer. The vaccine is essential to reducing future rates of HPV.

In a signing statement attached to the veto, the governor said: "While I support increased access to preventive services, I cannot support this bill as it may contribute to rising premiums. Further, a mandate is not necessary as this vaccine is already routinely provided by health plans and insurers. Mandating its coverage is unnecessary, restrictive and may increase costs." It's questionable reasoning, though. If health care providers are already providing this vaccine, then there should be no increase in costs.

Still, two out of three isn't bad. And with a better picture of the STD situation among young people, coupled with funds and mandates to address it, perhaps California can reduce the infection rate.

U.S. death rates from cancer falling - prevention, early detection credited - 10/16/07

Did you know that Planned Parenthood is the largest cancer screener in the country?

Here is an article from the San Francisco Chronicle about how early detection and prevention is credited for lower cancer death rates.

U.S. death rates from cancer falling - prevention, early detection credited

Denise Grady, New York Times

Monday, October 15, 2007

Death rates from cancer have been dropping by an average of 2.1 percent a year recently in the United States, a near doubling of decreases that began in 1993, researchers are reporting.

"Every 1 percent is 5,000 people who aren't dying," said Dr. Richard Schilsky, a professor of medicine at the University of Chicago and president-elect of the American Society of Clinical Oncology. "That's a huge sense of progress at this point."

Much of the progress comes not from miracle cures, but from more mundane improvements in prevention, early detection and treatment of some of the leading causes of cancer death - lung, colorectal, breast and prostate tumors. Years of nagging and pleading by health officials are finally beginning to pay off, experts say, in smoking cessation and increased use of mammograms, colonoscopies and other screening tests for colorectal and prostate cancer.

But the new statistics also contain bad news: American Indians and Alaska Natives in some regions are not benefiting from the same improvements as the rest of the population, and have higher rates of preventable cancers and late-stage tumors that would have had a better prognosis had they been detected sooner. Some groups within those populations have high rates of smoking. Researchers attribute the problems to poverty, lower education levels, and lack of insurance and access to medical care.

About 1.8 million of the 3.3 million American Indians and Alaska Natives receive their medical care through the Indian Health Service, but its facilities generally do not treat cancer. Outside contractors provide cancer treatment, but to get it, patients may have to navigate complicated rules and restrictions.

"The concern we have is that much of the progress we've attained in reducing death rates comes from tobacco control, screening and access to timely and high-quality treatment, and those positive effects are not being seen in all populations in the U.S.," said Elizabeth Ward, director of cancer surveillance for the American Cancer Society.

The new information, in an annual report from the cancer society, the National Cancer Institute and others, is being published online today - at www.interscience.wiley.com/cancer/report2007 - and in the Nov. 15 issue of the journal Cancer.

In the United States, cancer remains the second leading cause of death after heart disease, with 559,650 deaths expected this year.

But overall, death rates from cancer have been dropping by an average of 1.1 percent a year since 1993.

The report, using a statistical technique to analyze death rates, finds that the rate of decline deepened recently, averaging 2.1 percent a year from 2002 to 2004, the latest dates for which statistics are available.

"I'm hopeful that these improvements will serve to at least partially satisfy the cynics who have questioned whether the investment in cancer treatment has borne fruit," said Dr. Neal Meropol, director of the gastrointestinal cancer program at Fox Chase Cancer Center in Philadelphia. "In my view, these numbers are starting to highlight the advances that have been made."

In men, death rates decreased for most cancers, but went up for esophageal and liver cancer.

In women, death rates also dropped for most common cancers, but increased for liver and lung cancer. Lung cancer rates are still increasing for women because they started smoking, and quit, later than men did. But the death rate in women is increasing more slowly than in the past.

"What we think the statistics show now is that the epidemic of lung cancer in women has peaked, and we hope we'll start seeing a downturn," Ward said.

The report found that the incidence of both breast and ovarian cancer has decreased in the past few years. Researchers think the decline may be attributable in part to a sharp drop in hormone use after menopause, a response to a landmark study in 2002 that found the drugs increased the risk of breast cancer.

The American Cancer Society has said that lack of access to medical care is a major obstacle to reducing death rates. It recently began an advertising campaign to publicize the problem.

"Access to care truly is the message," said Dr. Patricia Ganz, director of cancer prevention and control research at the Jonsson Comprehensive Cancer Center at UCLA.

Meropol of the Fox Chase Cancer Center said: "What jumps out is that we really still have a long way to go.

"In spite of improvements, it's still a minority of individuals in our country that undergo screening for colon cancer," he said. "If everyone were screened appropriately, these incidence numbers would fall even more dramatically annually."

http://sfgate.com/cgi-bin/article.cgi?f=/c/a/2007/10/15/MNNFSPVIL.DTL

This article appeared on page A - 4 of the San Francisco Chronicle

Governor Signs TWO Critical Pieces of Legislation - 10/15/07

Good News! Governor Schwarzenegger signed two critical pieces of legislation affecting Planned Parenthood!

SB 94 ensures Planned Parenthood can continue to provide quality healthcare to those who need it by increasing Medi-Cal provider reimbursement rates for vital family planning services. The Medi-Cal provider reimbursement rate had only seen one increase in twenty years. Because of this, Planned Parenthood has had to turn away 10,000 patients a year due to the lack of funding to hire staff to meet the needs of these patients.

AB 629 ensures state money will only be spent on medically accurate, effective sex education! Despite comprehensive sex education laws in California, some public funds were being spent on inaccurate, biased programs often in the most underserved communities that have the greatest health disparities and the least access to quality sexual health information. AB 629 promotes healthy communities by funding accurate, reliable information about preventing unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections.

Thank you to all the dedicated Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo volunteers and activists who wrote thousands of letters, made hundreds of phone calls and came to several key visibility events. It is supporters like you who made this bill a priority in the State Legislature and got it signed into law by the Governor! Thank you and congratulations!

Urge The Governor To Sign SB 94 - 10/11/07

If you haven't called the Governor yet, make a call today to show your support of SB 94, critical piece of legislation that would increase reimbursement rates for vital family planning services and increase access to time-sensitive care for low-income women throughout the state. The situation in California requires immediate action. Every month, Planned Parenthood clinics statewide turn away more than 10,000 patients because of insufficient reimbursement from the state. He has until Sunday, October 14 to sign the bill, so keep the calls coming!

Making a call is quick and easy. It's all automated, so you don't have to talk with anybody. Here are the directions:

Governor's office: (916) 445-2841
Press 1 for English
Press 5 for Senate Bills
Press 5 for SB 94
Press 1 to support

And here is an article from North Gate News in Berkeley highlighting the necessity to have SB 94 signed into law:

North Gate News: Reporting UC Berkeley School of Journalism
Clinic Workers Urge Governor to Increase Family Planning Funds

Anna Belle Peevey, October 3, 2007 at 4:09 pm

SAN FRANCISCO — Within the next two weeks, California Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger will make a decision that could affect thousands of women seeking family planning services.

SB-94, one of the many bills now on his desk awaiting approval, would increase Medi-Cal funds for family planning for the first time in 20 years.

“You’re having folks pay for services with 1987 money that have 2007 costs,” said Chris Lee, Vice President for Public Policy for Planned Parenthood Shasta-Diablo, at a rally held today in San Francisco urging the Governor to sign the bill. Although Medi-Cal reimbursement rates have remained the same for two decades, the cost of providing family planning services has increased as much as 300 percent.

Maya Ingram, public policy director for Planned Parenthood Golden Gate, said California family planning service providers turn away 10,000 patients each month because they don’t have the funds to staff their clinics.

“We’ve been pushing for this year after year, and there’s always some push back because the state lacks funds,” Ingram said about the bill. “We’re at a critical stage now.”

The bill, subtitled Medi-Cal Reimbursement Rates, would provide $3.2 million in state Medi-Cal funds for family planning office visits. California would receive an additional $9 million in matching federal funds.

Currently, California receives nine federal dollars for every dollar the state spends on family planning. But for every dollar a clinic bills Medi-Cal, the state reimburses at 50 percent, and clinics use other funding to cover the remaining half. With SB 94, the reimbursement rate to family planning providers would increase to 80%.

Heather Saunders Estes, CEO of Planned Parenthood Shasta-Diablo, said at the rally today that family planning programs are increasingly strained by lack of funding.

“We are scraping the bottom of the barrel,” she said. “The system has been eroding for quite a while. Now it’s breaking.”
Estes said Planned Parenthood has been unable to fund a clinic in El Cerrito because the funds aren’t there, and that existing HIV-testing programs would likely be terminated if the $3.2 million doesn’t go through.

Planned Parenthood is not the only family planning provider that would be affected by this new bill. Every clinic that receives Medi-Cal patients for family planning would see a boost in the services it is able to provide. Because these clinics must compete for nurse practitioners with hospitals that offer 20 percent more in annual salaries, clinics are having a difficult time filling positions.

“We have two positions open right now,” said Leslie Barron-Johnson, Vice President of Client Services for Shasta-Diablo Planned Parenthood. “That’s 80 hours a week of possible time for patients.”

Supporters say that Family Planning, Access, Care and Treatment (PACT), California’s Medi-Cal funded family planning program, has saved the state more than $2 billion in medical and social service costs through the prevention of unintended pregnancies and sexually transmitted infections. And an evaluation by San Francisco Family PACT says every dollar spent on family planning saves the state $5.33 on social welfare costs down the road.

Carol Hogan, spokesperson for the California Catholic Conference, called that statistic “amazingly callous and utilitarian.” Referring to a letter she wrote to the Governor urging him not to sign SB94, she said, “In other words, paying to prevent a birth is more cost-effective than helping the child’s mother give birth and care for it.” Hogan said State Senator Sheila Kuehl, the author of the bill, performed a common legislative action the day before the bill went to a vote — by “gutting and amending” at the last minute, she changed the language to include family planning services.

Lee said the language was added at the last minute because the legislators “saw this was something left out of the 2008 budget and shouldn’t have been, because it brings money back to the state.” Lee and other supporters at the rally maintain that this is about emphasizing preventative care. Said Lee, “It’s the one program that makes fiscal sense.”

STD Cases Prove Costly In Youth - 10/11/07

Yesterday's Contra Costa Times reports on a deadly problem that shows the importance of comprehensive sex education and prevention education.

STD Cases Prove Costly In Youth
Study says 1.1 million new cases are reported each year, adding up to more than $1 billion in lifetime medical costs

By Sara Steffens STAFF WRITER Contra Costa Times

Article Launched:10/10/2007 03:03:05 AM PDT

Each year, teens and young adults in California suffer more than 1.1 million new cases of sexually transmitted diseases, according to a new study from California's Public Health Institute. And those infections bring more than $1 billion in lifetime medical costs, the report shows. "Society is not aware of how common STDs are, and how much not just personal stress and burden they cause, but financial burden," said Petra Jerman, a research scientist for the Oakland-based institute and co-author of the study. Published in the California Journal of Health Promotion, the study focused on eight major STDs: chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis, genital herpes, HPV, hepatitis B, trichomoniasis and HIV. Researchers used mathematical models to calculate the incidence of the infections among 15- to 24-year-olds in each California county. In 2005, new STD cases totaled: 62,417 in Alameda County 28,519 in Contra Costa County 15,440 in Solano County 8,642 in San Mateo County. Existing public health reports show only a fraction of those cases, partly because many STDs are not subject to mandatory reporting -- including human papillomavirus, or HPV, which accounts for more than half of the estimated cases in the new report. HPV is common partly because it's easy to transmit, Jerman said. It's also the target of a vaccine recently licensed for young adults by the federal Food and Drug Administration. "As more young people get vaccinated, then the numbers should go down," Jerman said. "We might be able to avoid those costs of HPV and their consequence of cervical cancer." New HPV infections accounted for $460 million of the total medical costs. Though much less common, new HIV infections are more costly, at $560 million. Public health workers have long known that STD cases are under-reported, said Francie Wise, communicable disease program chief for Contra Costa Public Health. "Some physicians aren't clear as to what's reportable. Some see these things as very private and they don't want to breach the patient's privacy," she said. "And patients say 'Please don't report it.'" Teenagers and young adults are biologically more susceptible to contracting STDs, Wise said, but they may not realize the long-term effects the infections can have. "Gonorrhea or chlamydia, especially if they go untreated, can lead to infertility, which is a lifetime issue for women," she said. The new numbers underscore the importance of using protection if sexually active and promptly seeking medical care for any symptoms, Wise said. And because women can contract "silent infections" that go on for years without obvious effects, she said, "it doesn't hurt to have screening tests periodically (even) if you don't have symptoms." The prevalence of STDs among teens and young adults shows the need for accurate, comprehensive sex education in schools, said Chris Lee, vice president of public policy and advocacy for Planned Parenthood Shasta-Diablo. "Kids are obviously still having sex," he said. "Abstinence-only is not the answer." Researchers say they hope that seeing the long-term costs of STDs will help spur renewed public discussion about the need to invest in preventive measures, Jerman said. She said she hopes the county-specific data will catch the attention of high school and college-age youths. "I hope they're surprised," she said. "I hope it makes them think, 'Oh my gosh, they're around us, we need to protect ourselves.'" Reach Sara Steffens at 925-943-8048 or ssteffens@bayareanewsgroup.com.

Supervisor Susan Bonilla of Contra Costa Visits Concord Health Center - 8/22/07

On Wednesday, August 15, Contra Costa County Supervisor Susan Bonilla visited our Concord clinic. Heather Saunders Estes, President/CEO, Julie Jura, our Concord Center Director and Margaret Madams, Regional Director for Community Services and Education provided detailed information to Supervisor Bonilla about all of the health and education services we provide to our clients. In addition, Supervisor Bonilla was particularly interested about the work we are doing to bring services to the Monument Corridor. Last year we provided approximately 75,000 medical visits for low income clients in Contra Costa County at our 7 county wide health centers. In addition, Planned Parenthood educators reached more than 12,000 residents with emphasis on school-based programs to reduce teen pregnancy and help teens make responsible choices. We look forward to working with Supervisor Bonilla and her staff to work to promote the health and well-being of women and their families.

Here are some photos from Supervisor Bonilla's visit:

PPSD Goes To The Napa Fair - 8/22/07

Each year, Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo has a booth at the Napa Town & Country Fair in Napa, California. Many people came to the booth to take safer sex surveys and write postcards to the Governor urging him to sign AB 629 which would ensure accountability of medically accurate, effective sex education. It was a great year to be at the Fair!

Here are some photos below:

Help Protect REAL Sex Education - 8/9/07

Make sure you TAKE ACTION! Did you know that some sex education programs teach that condoms don't work? Or that you can become infected with HIV through sweat and tears? Or that touching a person's genitals will make you pregnant? AB 629 will ensure that our schools teach medically accurate, comprehensive, and effective sex education! Write the Governor today and urge him to sign AB 629 when it lands on his desk!

Contra Costa Board of Supervisors Proclaim August 5-11“Community Health Center Week" - 8/8/07

On Tuesday, August 7^th the Contra Costa County Board of Supervisors (led by Supervisor Susan Bonilla) proclaimed the week of August 5-11, 2007 as “Community Health Center Week.” We are excited that the county is working to highlight all of the essential health services that community clinics provide to Contra Costa County. Supervisor Bonilla is scheduled to visit our Concord clinic next week.

Supervisor Susan Bonilla, Tanir Ami (CEO, Community Clinic Consortium), Viola Lujan (Regional Director for La Clinica de la Raza), Mitzi K. Sales (Sr. VP of External Affairs, PPSD), Cheryl Johnson (CEO, Brookside Community Clinic).

Choice Words: Sen. Torlakson's Office Visits PPSD's Concord Clinic - 8/8/07

On Tuesday, August 7, Erin Gabel, District Representative for Senator Tom Torlakson visited our Concord clinic. Julie Jura, our Concord Center Director, and Margaret Madams, Regional Director for Community Services and Education, provided information to Erin about all of the health and education services we provide to our clients. Emily Zielske, Legislative Affairs Manager, also spoke with Erin about two important bills that will soon be heard in the Senate Appropriations Committee that Senator Torlakson chairs. The first bill, The Sexual Health Education Accountability Act, AB 629 would create standards for community based organizations that provide state-funded sexuality education. Under this bill, such organizations would be required to teach medically accurate, effective, bias-free and age appropriate material to students.

The second bill discussed, AB 1328, promotes timely access to cost-effective preventive health care services for pregnant women and children in the Medi-Cal and the Access for Infants and Mothers (AIM) program. The bill would strike the six month residency requirement for pregnant women applying for AIM coverage, and ensure the implementation of an electronic Medi-Cal enrollment process for pregnant women. Both AB 629 and AB 1328 have passed the Assembly and are currently pending in the Senate.

Finally, Erin was given information about the extreme financial challenges our clinics are facing because of low Medi-Cal reimbursement rates. Statewide Planned Parenthood affiliates are forced to turn away more than 10,000 patients a month because we don’t have the money to hire the clinic staff to meet our needs. It is absolutely crucial that the Governor and State Legislators include money for health care in the state budget.

Senator Torlakson’s district includes 6 of our clinics including: Antioch, Concord, Pittsburg, Hilltop (Richmond), San Ramon and Walnut Creek. We are working with Senator Torlakson’s staff to find a time to visit one of these sites.

The House is a CHAMP for Children - 8/7/07

There's been some good news from Congress. On Thursday (8/2), the House of Representatives passed CHAMP (Children’s Health and Medicare Protection Act). This is just common sense legislation that will provide health insurance to millions of children and strengthen Medicare for adults. The bill also includes some key family planning provisions, including restrictions on abstinence-only funding and options for states to expand access to the kind of sex education that actually works. And it does all this without adding to the federal deficit. The vote 225–204. Let's hope that this bill makes it to the President's desk!

Fairfield Daily Republic Talks Medi-Cal - 8/3/07

This article in the Fairfield Daily Republic, featuring PPSD's Regional Director for Fairfield and Vacaville, highlights the importance of increasing the Medi-Cal provider reimbursement rate and how not doing so will adversely affect Planned Parenthood clients.

Fairfield Daily Republic - August 3, 2007

Budget impasse imperils Planned Parenthood
By Andrea E. Garcia

FAIRFIELD - While the state Legislature continues the stalemate over this year's budget, some health care centers are feeling a greater crunch than others as provider reimbursement rates fail to increase again.

In the past 20 years, there has only been one rate increase for the Medi-Cal Fee-for-Service program, a health plan that bills Medical Assistance for care or services.

But health care costs have increased more than 300 percent during that time, said Donna McNichol, regional director for Planned Parenthood. That means the facility is working with 1987 dollars for 2007 costs.

"Because of the rate increase, we are having difficulties getting providers and keeping them. It's difficult to be competitive in the market when your rates have not increased," she said. "We have competition in other venues and these providers have gone elsewhere to make more money."

As a result, programs and services at Planned Parenthood are getting curtailed, such as prenatal service.

In 2005, a lack of a rate increase forced the Vallejo prenatal office to complete stop its services and the Fairfield site to reduce its prenatal services considerably.

McNichol works at both locations has seen the effects firsthand.

At one time, she said, the Fairfield location would see between 30 and 40 prenatal patients per month. Now the facility can only provide care for 10 women under the Comprehensive Perinatal Service Providers program.

"It's very frustrating for me," McNichol said. "We're talking about getting preventive services to people and how much it saves us in the long run. But then no one does anything about it. We're not doing what we have to make it happen."

Prenatal service is not the only program likely to be cut.

Christopher Lee, vice president for public policy and advocacy for Planned Parenthood Shasta-Diablo, said a number of potential life-saving services will be affected, including cancer screening and HIV testing.

"It's a tough thing to be in the position of the folks we service," he said. "They rely on our services, including testing and treatment. These are preventative care services that are in jeopardy."

As of Thursday, there were an estimated $227 million in payments withheld by the state for Medi-Cal Fee-for-Service providers.

Pending passage of the state budget, an estimated 11,000 providers will not receive payment and will be impacted, according to the Department of Health Services.

On Wednesday, the budget bill failed in the state Senate by a vote of 26-14, one aye vote shy of the two-thirds majority needed for approval. The Legislature did not pick a date to reconvene as of Thursday.

Reach Andrea E. Garcia at 427-6953 or agarcia@dailyrepublic.net.

Elle Magazine Features 7 Essays On The Supreme Court's Decision On The Federal Abortion Ban - 8/3/07

Hey, all! Check out the July 2007 issue of Elle Magazine! It features seven fantastic essays, including one by former Planned Parenthood Federation of America President Gloria Feldt, on the U.S. Supreme Court's decision in Gonzales v. Carhart which upheld the federal abortion ban. Click the Elle logo below to read this special feature:

And Now, An Important Message About YOUR Healthcare - 8/2/07

Planned Parenthood and other safety net providers are turning away 10,000 people a month, because they don't have the money to pay the clinical staff needed to see the patients. And, why is that? Because the current Medi-Cal reimbursement rates are so low that Planned Parenthood is unable to recruit much less keep the staff that is needed to provide services. If this doesn't get fixed, we won't be able to provide cost-effective, quality health care to the people who need it most - the underserved and uninsured. Thousands of women throughout California are counting on adequately funded family planning services.

Listen to this important radio program that highlights the need to increase Medi-Cal provider reimbursement rates now!

Now Playing: Medi-Cal Provider Reimbursement Rate Program



Then, call the governor and ask him to ensure that Medi-Cal reimbursement rates are increased in this year's budget!

Governor Arnold Schwarzenegger
Sacramento Office: 916-445-2841
Fresno Office: 559-445-5295
Los Angeles Office: 213-897-0322
Riverside Office: 951-680-6860
San Diego Office: 619-525-4641
San Francisco Office: 415-703-2218

Movin' On Up...To The 21st Century - 8/2/07

Hi, there! Well, Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo is stepping into the 21st Century with its very own blog. We want to make sure that you, our supporters, patients and volunteers, are informed about the events and issues affecting family planning, comprehensive sex education and reproductive healthcare. Be sure to check back regularly and we encourage you to leave comments and engage in conversation.

Thanks and see you soon!