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!