DOCSLIB.ORG

Effects of an Entertainment-Education Radio Soap Opera on Family Planning and HIV Prevention in St

Total Page：16

File Type：pdf, Size：1020Kb

Download full-text PDF Read full-text
Effects of an Entertainment-Education Radio Soap Opera on Family Planning and HIV Prevention in St ARTICLES Effects of an Entertainment-Education Radio Soap Opera on Family Planning And HIV Prevention in St. Lucia By Peter W. Vaughan, Alleyne Regis and Edwin St. Catherine Lucia, an entertainment-education radio Context: An entertainment-education radio soap opera, Apwe Plezi, was broadcast from Feb- soap opera, Apwe Plezi, was produced and ru a ry 1996 to September 1998 in St. Lucia. The program promoted family planning, HIV pre- b roadcast to promote the use of family vention and other social development themes. planning, the prevention of HIV and other Methods: The program’s effects were assessed through analyses of data from nationally rep- sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), gen- re s e n t a t i v e pretest and posttest surveys , foc u s - g roup discussions and other qualitative and quan- der equity and other social development titative sources. goals. (The name Apwe Plezi derives from R e s u l t s : Among 1,238 respondents to the posttest survey, 35% had listened to A p we Plezi, in- the Creole proverb “Apwe plezi c’est la cluding 12% who listened at least once per week. Multivar iate analyses show significant effec t s pain,” or “After the pleasure comes the 7 of both time and listenership category on seve ral know l e d g e, attitude and behavior va ri a bl e s. pa i n . ” ) The purpose of this article is to as- For example, 16% of posttest respondents knew a slang term for condoms that was coined for sess the program’s success in achieving its the radio program, and the proportions of respondents who considered it acceptable for hus- educational goals. bands to have sex partners outside their marriage declined from 27% in the pretest to 14% in the posttest survey. Compared with nonlisteners, regular listeners were more likely to trust fam - Context ily planning workers (83% vs. 72%) and considered a significantly lower number of children the St. Lucia’s population was about 136,000 ideal (2.5 vs. 2.9). Fou r teen percent of listeners reported having adopted a family planning method in 1990,8 and it grew by about 1.2% per as a result of listening to the program. year through 2000.9 The total fertility rate Co n cl u s i o n : Ap w e Plezi in fl uenced listeners to increase their awareness of contrac e p t i ve s , im- was 3.8 lifetime births per woman in 1980 pr o ve important attitudes about fidelity and family relations, and adopt family planning methods. but had declined to 2.6 by 1997.10 The con- Important lessons for entertainment-education programmers include that program reach, and traceptive prevalence rate re m a i n e d th e r e f ore effec t s , can be limited by competition with other programming, and that monitoring lis- roughly constant at about 55% from 1988 teners’ perceptions is essential to detect and correct misinterpretations of program messages. to 1997;11 some 62% of pregnancies were International Family Planning Perspectives, 2000, 26(4):148–157 unintended in 1988,1 2 and 21% of births we r e to women younger than 20 in 1991.13 Catholicism is the predominant rel i g i o n ntertainment-education is a com- ilar to themselves perform the task suc- in St. Lucia, but Seventh-Day Adventist munication strategy consisting of c e s s f u l l y. This makes entertainment- and evangelical Protestant churches rep - Ethe insertion of educational or education a suitable approach for efforts resent a growing minority. Many St. Lu- motivational information into entertain- to reduce unintended pregnancy and HIV cians choose not to marry, but instead co- ment media.1 Pr ograms are characterized infection, since self-efficacy is associated habit or enter visiting unions (in which the by an ongoing story line with several con- with contraceptive use among women at partners do not live together); as a res u l t , cu r r ent plots linked together by the char- risk of these events.3 85% of births occur out of wedlock.1 4 A acters’ personal relationships. Each Evaluations of entertainment-education 1994 report documented improved status episode ends with a hook, or cliffhanger, pr ograms have generally found that they for women in government, employment that creates interest in the next episode, have measurable effects on family plan- and education, but highlighted an increa s e and a brief epilogue that poses rhetorical ning knowledge, attitudes and practice, in reports of domestic violence against questions or provides information, such and are particularly important in stimu- as the number of a telephone hot line. lating interpersonal communication about Peter W. Vaughan is re s e a rch consultant to Population The entertainment-education strategy family planning and increasing self- Communications International, New York, and visiting assistant pro f e s s o r, Macalester College, St. Paul, MN, is based on Bandura’s social cognitive the- e fficacy with respect to the use of family USA; Alleyne Regis is program officer at the RARE Cen- 4 o r y, which posits that individuals learn planning methods and HIV prevention. ter, Castries, St. Lucia; and Edwin St. Catherine is direc- new behaviors by observing and imitat- Ho w e v e r , one study found limited effe c t s tor of statistics, Government of St. Lucia, Castries. Fund- ing the behavior of others, who serve as of an entertainment-education pro g r a m ing for this work was provided by the RARE Center and role models.2 Another underlying princi- on HIV and AIDS pre v e n t i o n ,5 and an- by Population Communications International. The au- thors thank Audrey George, executive director of the St. ple is that individuals may increase their other criticized some previous studies for Lucia Planned Parenthood Association, for making clin- 6 s e l f - e ff i c a c y, or sense of their ability to lacking rigor in design and analysis. ic data available and Everett M. Rogers for his comments carry out a task, by seeing individuals sim- In the Caribbean island-nation of St. on an earlier draft of this article. 148 International Family Planning Perspectives w o m e n .1 5 The per capita gross national opera, including a street theater produc- once a week or more, less than once a pr oduct was about US $3,370 in 1997.16 tion that used Apwe Plezi characters and week and not at all. We categorized re- was performed 21 times in 1998 and spondents choosing the first option as reg - The Program viewed by about 1,500 people. Apwe Plezi ular listeners, those giving the second an- The entertainment-education radio soap story updates were regularly published swer as casual listeners and the rest as opera Apwe Plezi was designed to addres s in the local press, and posters, bumper nonlisteners. In these analyses, any asso- 37 educational issues identified in forma- stickers and billboards were used to ad- ciation between the dependent variables tive re s e a rch. These issues included vertise the radio program. and listenership category may be the re- knowledge, attitudes and behavior rel a t - sult of self-selection to the audience by ed to family planning, HIV pre v e n t i o n , Methods people who already agreed with the ed- gender equity, relationship fidelity and do- Data and Analyses ucational themes being promoted by the mestic violence. Our principal source of information about radio program. During the program’s first phase, from the program’s effects was a pret e s t - p o s t t e s t Since both of our analytic appro a c h e s February 1996 to May 1997, 260 episodes survey conducted through personal in- have validity threats caused by the corre- we r e broadcast from 5:15 to 5:30 P.M.Tue s - terviews. A January 1995 survey of 753 lational nature of the analyses, it is diffi- day through Friday (with a repeat of Fri- men and women provided baseline data. cult to infer causal effect. We adjusted for day’s episode on Monday) on Radio St. Posttest surveys were conducted in June these validity threats by controlling for 13 Lucia.* There followed a period of sever- 1997 (among 741 respondents) and in Sep- variables refl ecting demographic charac- al months when selected episodes fro m tember 1998 (with 497 respondents). Each teristics, socioeconomic status, mass media the initial phase were rebroadcast with a survey included an independent quota access and family planning availability narrator to bridge the gap in the story line. sample that was rep r esentative of the coun- (the first 13 variables in Table 1, added to For the second phase, 105 episodes were try’s sexually active population aged 15–54 our models through forward stepwise like- b roadcast from July 1997 to September (a c c o r ding to the 1991 census) in terms of lihood-ratio selection). Although the use 1998; two new 15-minute episodes each geographic re p resentation of the 10 dis- of such statistical controls is only a partial a i red three times every week. The 400th tricts of St. Lucia, sex ratio, age distribution solution to the validity threats inherent to episode of Apwe Plezi was broadcast dur- and socioeconomic status. Because the all nonexperimental designs, it is the most ing the third phase, in July 2000.
Load more

Recommended publications
  • PLANNED PARENTHOOD ARIZONA, Inc. Annual Report | 2019-2020 TABLE of CONTENTS PLANNED PARENTHOOD ARIZONA BOARD of Planned Parenthood Arizona Board of Directors
    PLANNED PARENTHOOD ARIZONA, Inc. Annual Report | 2019-2020 TABLE OF CONTENTS PLANNED PARENTHOOD ARIZONA BOARD OF Planned Parenthood Arizona Board of Directors. 1 DIRECTORS Message from Planned Parenthood Arizona Board of Directors ................2 Angela Florez Milestones ........................................................3-8 Co-Chair Our Impact by the Numbers ...........................................9 Xanthia Walker Financial Overview .................................................10 Co-Chair Contact Us ........................................................12 Carminia Muñoz Vice-Chair Mission Statement Adriana Delgado Treasurer Planned Parenthood Arizona promotes and protects every person’s freedom and right to enjoy sexual health and well-being, to make reproductive choices, and build healthy, Shasta McManus Secretary strong families. Board Members Planned Parenthood Arizona proudly serves the entire state of Arizona with health care Christina Belin Sheena Chiang, Esq. services, education, and advocacy. Astrid K. Henao Allyson J. Israel Anna Keene Executive Team Amanda Leib, M.D. Sedona Lynch Vicki Hadd-Wissler, Senior Director of Education Shaliqua McCoy Samantha Pullen, Interim President and CEO Andrew Norris Veronica Martinez, Sr. Director of Equity, Diversity, and Inclusion Chesney Richter Christine Whitney Sanchez Annet Ruiter, Sr. Vice President of Organizational Advancement Noor Zwayne, M.D. James Washington, Vice President of Patient Services College Directors Emily Goldberg Zaniel Rodriguez Youth Director Janet Thampy Planned Parenthood© is a registered trademark of Planned Parenthood© Federation of America, Inc. MESSAGE FROM PLANNED PARENTHOOD ARIZONA BOARD OF DIRECTORS Dear Planned Parenthood Arizona Community, We are grateful to our PPAA board colleagues, who took action to ensure that local progressive candidates who were supported by PPAA were accountable to giving back 2020 has been a truly unprecedented year, and this is one of the few instances where or redistributing their police funds in alignment with our values.
    [Show full text]
  • SUPREME COURT of the UNITED STATES Syllabus PLANNED
    SUPREME COURT OF THE UNITED STATES Syllabus PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF SOUTHEASTERN PENNSYLVANIA et al. v. CASEY, GOVERNOR OF PENNSYLVANIA, et al. CERTIORARI TO THE UNITED STATES COURT OF APPEALS FOR THE THIRD CIRCUIT No. 91-744. Argued April 22, 1992 -- Decided June 29, 1992 At issue are five provisions of the Pennsylvania Abortion Control Act of 1982: § 3205, which requires that a woman seeking an abortion give her informed consent prior to the procedure, and specifies that she be provided with certain information at least 24 hours before the abortion is performed; § 3206, which mandates the informed consent of one parent for a minor to obtain an abortion, but provides a judicial bypass procedure; § 3209, which commands that, unless certain exceptions apply, a married woman seeking an abortion must sign a statement indicating that she has notified her husband; § 3203, which defines a "medical emergency" that will excuse compliance with the foregoing requirements; and §§ 3207(b), 3214(a), and 3214(f), which impose certain reporting requirements on facilities providing abortion services. Before any of the provisions took effect, the petitioners, five abortion clinics and a physician representing himself and a class of doctors who provide abortion services, brought this suit seeking a declaratory judgment that each of the provisions was unconstitutional on its face, as well as injunctive relief. The District Court held all the provisions unconstitutional and permanently enjoined their enforcement. The Court of Appeals affirmed in part and reversed in part, striking down the husband notification provision but upholding the others. Held: The judgment in No. 91-902 is affirmed; the judgment in No.
    [Show full text]
  • Public Overwhelmingly Supports Planned Parenthood
    Public Overwhelmingly Supports Planned Parenthood In the months since the latest attacks on Planned Parenthood launched, national polls have found broad deep support for the organization and its ability to provide health care services to millions of people – and the public has mobilized on behalf of Planned Parenthood. The public is largely aware of accusations about Planned Parenthood – and is not persuaded by them. Thirteen separate nationwide polls show strong favorability for Planned Parenthood and strong opposition to efforts in Congress to defund the organization, which would prevent low-income women from receiving health care at Planned Parenthood. These polls stem from the deep and longstanding relationship that many Americans have with Planned Parenthood, which is the nation’s leading provider of reproductive health care and sex education. For 99 years, women, men, and young people have relied on Planned Parenthood for birth control, lifesaving cancer screenings, safe abortion, and other high-quality health care. One in five women American women reports having been to Planned Parenthood for care in her lifetime. All thirteen national polls conducted in the wake of these attacks show strong support for Planned Parenthood and extraordinarily strong opposition to shutting down the government over Planned Parenthood federal funding. • A new poll from Associated Press-GfK found that 69% of those surveyed do not support forcing a government shutdown to block Planned Parenthood’s funding, and less than half of Republicans would entertain this idea. • A New York Times/CBS News Poll taken in the middle of the 2015 defund fight found that most Americans think Planned Parenthood should continue to receive government funding.
    [Show full text]
  • 2021 WINTER HORIZONS a Publication of Planned Parenthood South Texas 2021 WINTER HORIZONS a Publication of Planned Parenthood South Texas
    Opening New Doors to Care. 2021 WINTER HORIZONS A Publication of Planned Parenthood South Texas 2021 WINTER HORIZONS A Publication of Planned Parenthood South Texas TABLE OF CONTENTS Planned Parenthood South Texas 1 | President’s Message 2021 BOARD OF DIRECTORS | Words from our patients Elise Ring Boyan, Chair 3 Merritt Clements, Chair-Elect 4 | Opening new doors to care: Catherine Payer, Treasurer Brian Steward, Secretary Southeast Health Center Kathy Armstrong, Immediate Past Chair 6 | Texas terminates Planned Parenthood Lisa Alcantar, Director Brooke Benson, Director from Medicaid Jane Bockus, Director | Dr. Laurie Greenberg, MD, Director 8 Introducing primary care Stephanie Guerra, Director 10 | Looking forward: View from Alison Kennamer, Director Mina López, Director our community partners Fernando Martinez, PhD, Director | Increasing access to telehealth Maria Mathis, Director 14 Liz McFarland, Director 16 | 2021 Texas legislative preview Mayra Mendoza, Director Patricia Morales, Director 17 | The future of the Affordable Care Act MaryEllen Veliz, Director Daniel Walker, Director STAFF LEADERSHIP Jeffrey Hons, President & CEO Thank you to our generous funders Polin C. Barraza, RN, Senior Vice The work of Planned Parenthood South Texas is made possible by President & COO support from you and from institutional partners, including: Angela Koester, Vice President for Community Engagement Valerie Mascorro, Associate Vice President for Operations & Growth MISSION STATEMENT We provide and protect the health care and information people need to plan their families and their futures. www.ppsouthtexas.org | 800-230-7526 President’s Message Each fall is budget building season members pre-filed terrible bills and at PPST, culminating in a presentation have stated that stopping abortion in to the board seeking their approval Texas is their priority this session.
    [Show full text]
  • Planned Parenthood of Central and Northern Arizona-Mss 43
    PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF CENTRAL AND NORTHERN ARIZONA-MSS 43 Records - 1866 to 1992 Number of items – 52 boxes, 1 oversized folder, c. 27 cu.ft. Provenance: Donated to the Arizona Historical Society in 2012 by the Arizona Historical Foundation. HISTORICAL SKETCH Planned Parenthood of Central and Northern Arizona began as the Mother’s Health Clinic of Phoenix, October 1, 1937. Influenced by Margaret Sanger, many prominent Arizona women were instrumental in founding and running the operation. Among them was Lucy Cuthbert, Thelma Phillips, Peggy Goldwater, Nancy Bimson, and Maie Heard. Volunteers and limited medical staff offered varied, often controversial, health services to women and families regardless of their ability to pay. In 1942, the Phoenix clinic affiliated with the national organization, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA). With constant growth, the clinic moved to the Phoenix Memorial Hospital campus in 1953, and in 1958, hired Gladys MacLean as the first executive director. An important 1959 legal victory for the organization resulted in overturning an Arizona territorial law that prohibited the legal distribution of birth control information. In the 1960s, the birth control pill was made available for distribution, and counseling services were added. In 1967, state grant monies for an inner city outreach program facilitated the development of the affiliate’s education department. Also, the organization began holding large public fundraising events such as a 1965 banquet honoring Margaret Sanger and the Chinese Opera, planned and hosted by Peggy Goldwater, in 1967. In the 1970s, four additional PPCNA clinics were established. Vasectomy and abortion services were offered and, with Title X of the Public Health Service Act, there was an increase in family planning services for low income people.
    [Show full text]
  • Gilmore Girls”
    For Immediate Release THE UP FAMILY EXPANDS UP Acquires Full Seven-Season Run of Award-Winning, Fan-Favorite Series “Gilmore Girls” Family Network to Begin Airing Episodes in the Fall LOS ANGELES / Television Critics Association – July 30, 2015 – UP announced today it has acquired the full seven-season run of "Gilmore Girls," the award-winning, fan-favorite family drama starring Lauren Graham ("Parenthood"), Alexis Bledel (The Sisterhood of the Traveling Pants), Melissa McCarthy ("Mike & Molly,” Spy), Keiko Agena “(“Shameless,” Transformers of the Dark Moon), Yanic Truesdale (“Reumeurs"), Scott Patterson ("CSI Miami"), Liza Weil ("Stir of Echoes"), Jared Padalecki ("Supernatural"), Milo Ventimiglia ("Heroes"), Sean Gunn (Guardians of the Gun, Pearl Harbor) and Kelly Bishop ("Bunhead," “The Good Wife”), with special appearances by the late Edward Herrmann (The Wolf of Wall Street, The Lost Boys) and recurring guest star Liz Torres ("Devious Maids,” ”Scandal"). UP acquired "Gilmore Girls" from Warner Bros. Domestic Television Distribution and will begin airing the 153 one-hour episodes of the series in the fall. The announcement was made by Amy Winter, evp and general manager, UP. She said, "We’ve acquired one of the most beloved shows in family TV history and we are thrilled to add such a critically acclaimed family series to our line up.” The acquisition of "Gilmore Girls" was negotiated by Sophia Kelley, svp programming, UP, who said, "'Gilmore Girls' is a fan-favorite series that retains a very large and passionate following. The strong and loving mother- daughter relationship portrayed in ‘Gilmore Girls’ is a beautiful testament to the wonderful power of family drama.
    [Show full text]
  • From PARENTHOOD to TUTTO PUÒ SUCCEDERE: Ready-Made Elements and Cultural Translation 2020
    Repositorium für die Medienwissenschaft Stefania Antonioni; Chiara Checcaglini From PARENTHOOD to TUTTO PUÒ SUCCEDERE: Ready-Made Elements and Cultural Translation 2020 https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/15359 Veröffentlichungsversion / published version Zeitschriftenartikel / journal article Empfohlene Zitierung / Suggested Citation: Antonioni, Stefania; Checcaglini, Chiara: From PARENTHOOD to TUTTO PUÒ SUCCEDERE: Ready-Made Elements and Cultural Translation. In: VIEW Journal of European Television History and Culture, Jg. 9 (2020), Nr. 17, S. 146– 157. DOI: https://doi.org/10.25969/mediarep/15359. Erstmalig hier erschienen / Initial publication here: https://doi.org/10.18146/view.241 Nutzungsbedingungen: Terms of use: Dieser Text wird unter einer Creative Commons - This document is made available under a creative commons - Namensnennung - Weitergabe unter gleichen Bedingungen 4.0/ Attribution - Share Alike 4.0/ License. For more information see: Lizenz zur Verfügung gestellt. Nähere Auskünfte zu dieser Lizenz https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ finden Sie hier: https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/ volume 9 issue 17/2020 FROM PARENTHOOD TO TUTTO PUÒ SUCCEDERE READY-MADE ELEMENTS AND CULTURAL TRANSLATION Stefania Antonioni Università di Urbino [email protected] Chiara Checcaglini Università di Udine [email protected] Abstract: In our article we propose an analysis of the Italian TV series Tutto Può Succedere (2015-2018), a remake of the American TV series Parenthood (2010-2015). The Italian remake precisely reproduces some Parenthood’s ready-made elements: the two series share the main plot, many storylines and characters’ personalities, dealing with the ups and downs of a large family, formed of four siblings, their parents and their children.
    [Show full text]
  • Atx Television Festival 2020 Coverage
    ATX TELEVISION FESTIVAL 2020 COVERAGE Pre-Festival Coverage Pre-Fest Announcements First Wave of Programming Announcement ● Akron Beacon Journal (TV Guide Pickup) - Parenthood Cast to Reunite at ATX Television Festival ​ ● Austin360 - ATX TV Fest announces: Parents, police and prisoners in 2020 ​ ● Austin Chronicle - ATX TV Fest Scores Parenthood Reunion for 2020 ​ ● Broadway World - 2020 ATX Television Festival Announces First Wave Of Programming ​ ● Culture Map Austin - Cast of beloved NBC drama heading to Austin for very special family ​ reunion ● Entertainment Weekly - ATX Television Festival adds Parenthood live script reading to its 2020 ​ lineup ● Give Me My Remote - ATX Sets PARENTHOOD Reunion ​ ● Gossip Bucket (Page Six Pickup) - ‘Parenthood’ cast to reunite at ATX TV Festival in 2020 ​ ● IMDb (THR Pickup)- Parenthood - Reunion Set for 2020 ATX TV Festival (Exclusive) ​ ● IndieWire - ‘Parenthood,’ ‘Justified,’ and ‘Oz’ Reunions Set for 2020 ATX TV Festival ​ ● Movies with Butter (Indie Wire Pickup) - ‘Parenthood,’ ‘Justified,’ and ‘Oz’ Reunions Set for 2020 ​ ATX TV Festival ● MSN (THR Pickup) - Parenthood' Reunion Set for 2020 ATX TV Festival (Exclusive) ​ ● Page Six - ‘Parenthood’ cast to reunite at ATX TV Festival in 2020 ​ ● Parade - The Bravermans Are Back! Find out About the Parenthood Reunion Happening ​ ● People - The Bravermans Are Back! Parenthood Cast Set to Reunite at Upcoming ATX Television ​ Festival ● Scary Mommy - A ‘Parenthood’ Reunion Is In The Works And Yes, Bring Back The Bravermans ​ ● Talk Nerdy With Us
    [Show full text]
  • Recently, Celebrity Actor Dax Shepard, Who Previously Appeared
    By Kerry Ferguson Recently, celebrity actor Dax Shepard, who previously A Free Training on Preparing Youth appeared on NBC’s for Adult Living, Learning & Working Parenthood and is also Planning for the future can be married to actress Kristen Bell, overwhelming for all youth but for revealed in an interview that those exiting the foster care system he had been molested as a child. Dax disclosed on The Jason it can be even more challenging Ellis Show that he was just 7 years old when he was abused by his but is also very necessary. Centering 18 year old neighbor. the plan around the transitioning Initially, Dax viewed the incident as minimal with him not telling youth’s own strengths, interests and anyone about the abuse for 12 years. He said that he blamed goals is essential in paving the way himself and even considered he may have been gay as a to a successful adult life. This reason why the abuse occurred. Dax publicly struggled with training will explain: drug and alcohol abuse in which he now feels his addiction was What “permanency” is & what it fueled by the molestation. Dax’s mother is a court-appointed means for youth & their lives What the transition process is & why advocate for children in foster care and recently shared a it is important statistic with Dax. At a seminar, Dax’s mother learned that if child Transition planning strategies & has been molested, there is only a 20% chance of them not supports becoming an addict. Unique grants/scholarship opportunities for youth Every 107 seconds a sexual assault occurs with approximately How to support youth’s 293,000 victims of sexual assault each year, this is a shocking participation in transition planning statistic.
    [Show full text]
  • These Doors Stay Open. 2015 Annual Report ...We Never Backed Down and Our Doors Stayed Open
    These Doors Stay Open. 2015 Annual Report ...we never backed down and our doors stayed open. Our staff was there every day for our patients, providing the vital health care they need. A Message from Our Chair & President/CEO In July 2015, a fraudulent smear campaign was launched against Planned Parenthood with the intent to shut down the organization and end safe and legal abortion in this country. The campaign, by a fake company called “Biomax” funded by the Center for Medical Progress, featured heavily edited fraudulent videos of Planned Parenthood staff members, and alleged that Planned Parenthood Reina Schiffrin and Ann Pogue was illegally selling fetal tissue donations, which, of course, was not true. The attacks led to five Congressional investigations, five hours of incredible testimony from Planned Parenthood President Cecile Richards before Congress, and many state investigations, none of which showed Planned Parenthood broke any laws. There were multiple Congressional votes to defund Planned Parenthood, a shut-down of all Planned Parenthood websites for several days, defunding of Planned Parenthood affiliates services from the state level, and most tragic, a shooting at a Planned Parenthood health center in Colorado Springs in November that killed three people and injured several more. Through all of this, we never backed down and our doors stayed open. Our staff was there every day for our patients, providing the vital health care they need. Our supporters came to rallies to show they Stand with PP, both locally and nationally. PPHP has had many successes in 2015 that we are proud of including increased use of long-acting reversible contraception (LARC) by our patients following a surgical abortion, training for health center staff to expand our male and LGTBQ services, launching our Patient Education and Engagement Portal in our health centers, and surpassing our fundraising goal.
    [Show full text]
  • December 14, 2020 Executive Commissioner Cecile Young Texas
    December 14, 2020 Executive Commissioner Cecile Young Texas Health and Human Services Commission 4900 N. Lamar Boulevard Austin, TX 78751 P.O. Box 13247 Dear Executive Commissioner Young: We write in light of the COVID-19 public health crisis facing Texas, to ask the Texas Health and Human Services Commission (“HHSC”) to allow Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, Planned Parenthood South Texas, and Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast (collectively, “Planned Parenthood providers”) to continue serving Texans insured through the Medicaid program. At minimum, it is imperative that HHSC permit a brief grace period so that Planned Parenthood providers can provide continuity of care throughout the holiday season and the current crisis point of the pandemic. The Shortage of Texas Medicaid Providers in the Current Public Health Crisis and Planned Parenthood’s Essential Role As HHSC is well aware, Texas is one of the hardest-hit states in the worst public health crisis to face this country since the flu pandemic of 1918–19. More than 1.2 million Texans have been infected with COVID-19, and more than 23,000 have died from it.1 As Governor Abbott has repeatedly recognized, including as recently as December 6, 2020, COVID-19 “poses an imminent threat of disaster for all counties in the State of Texas.”2 Indeed, on December 10, 2020, 12,211 new coronavirus cases were reported in Texas—a figure exceeding July’s record high.3 Hospitalization rates are currently highest in Northern and Western Texas, where many rural hospitals are “overwhelmed” and have “reported difficulty transferring patients to bigger, better- 1 COVID Data Tracker, CDC, https://covid.cdc.gov/covid-data-tracker/ (last visited Dec.
    [Show full text]
  • Celebrity Spotlight Words Louisa Ghevaert
    CELEBRITY SPOTLIGHT WORDS_ LOUISA GHEVAERT Since the early 1990s, actor and comedian Alec Mapa has appeared in many top television shows from Friends to Seinfeld, The Cosby Show, Law & Order to NYPD Blue. More recently, he’s been cast in Desperate Housewives and Ugly Betty, two standout shows of the last ten years, as well as comedy films Marley & Me and Don’t Mess With The Zohan, all whilst crafting his own comedy stand-up shows. However, Alec’s greatest achievement came in 2010 when he adopted five year old Zion with husband Jamie Hebert. His journey to family life and parenthood was, at times, difficult and testament to his determination and drive to succeed. stand-up successes aside, work was slow and uninspiring. When the national tour of M Butterfly concluded Alec found himself unemployed and so he turned to stand-up comedy. However, in 1992 disaster struck. His beloved mother passed away, his personal relationship broke down and just 12 months later his best friend, Dawn, died of complications relating to AIDS. Alec was devastated, reflecting in an interview last year that “… the universe just handed me all my life lessons on a single platter.” Of this time Alec admits that had it not been for Monica, whom he credits as lejandro ‘Alec’ Mapa was born in San Francisco in 1965. his role model, he might not have survived this difficult time. His conservative Catholic parents had arrived in the US from the Philippines several years earlier, making him THE COMIC a first generation Asian-American. His early upbringing After a prolonged period of reflection and recovery Alec channelled was strictly religious.
    [Show full text]