Program areas at PPNNE
In FY23, PPNNE continued to provide high-quality reproductive and sexual health care through 15 health centers across Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont, as well as through telehealth. Patients received vital services such as well-person exams, cancer screenings, birth control counseling and access to the full range of contraceptive methods, emergency contraception, abortion care, STD testing/treatment/prevention services, immunizations, gender affirming hormone therapy, behavioral health screenings/referrals/support, and other limited primary care. In FY23, PPNNE delivered care to 31,373 patients through 42,520 visits. We continued to serve a predominantly lower income and young patient base. During this period, 56% of patients had incomes at or below 200% of the federal poverty guideline ($29,160 for a one-person household annually) and 61% of patients were in their teens or twenties. We ensured access for uninsured/underinsured patients by delivering over $3.9 million in free/discounted care through our sliding fee scale program. PPNNE also continued to offer expanded support to patients through our integrated behavioral health program, which currently operates in Vermont and Maine. Also in FY23, our organization implemented a new electronic health record system to achieve long-term benefits, including enhanced efficiency, patient access, and care quality. This was an extensive project that temporarily decreased capacity in FY23. Patient satisfaction with their care experience remained very high. Highlights of FY23 survey results included that patients felt the services offered met their needs (scoring 96 out of 100 points), staff protected their safety (96/100), and they were treated with compassion and respect (97/100). As a result, patients were extremely likely to recommend PPNNE to others (97/100).
PPNNE's organizing and policy program integrates public education, advocacy, collaboration, media strategies, and grassroots mobilization. These efforts are conducted in tandem with Planned Parenthood Action Fund organizations in Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont and in collaboration with community partners. This state-level work - including advocating for sexual and reproductive health and freedom, expanded health care access, particularly for family planning and preventative health care services, and other beneficial policies - promotes public health, equity, and economic security statewide. Highlights from FY23 included collaboratively defeating anti-reproductive health bills; securing policies to improve coverage of reproductive and sexual health care services, enhance patient access, and more; advancing PPNNE's unique deep canvassing program through community member trainings, phone banking, and door-to-door canvassing; supporting campus organizing by student leaders; and working with volunteers across our three states to deepen and grow grassroots organizing capacity. For more, see httpswwwplannedparenthoodorgplann...
PPNNE reaches and engages youth and adults, with a focus on the sexual and reproductive health needs of underserved and at-risk populations, through community outreach and collaborations, trainings, events, and education programming. In FY23, PPNNE conducted over 100 activities across our 3 states to strengthen referral relationships with other health and human service organizations, raise awareness, and bring quality health services, information, and education to more people. Examples of youth-focused work included delivering resources and trainings for educators; empowering teens to serve as peer educators; organizing another successful annual Youth Sex Education Summit; and more. Additionally, PPNNE worked to advance health equity through continuing efforts to better reach and serve patients with limited English proficiency; conducting outreach and community partner trainings; providing learning sessions directly to groups of at-risk youth and adults; and continuing projects to learn from and better serve people with disabilities. For more on PPNNE's community engagement and education offerings, see httpswwwplannedparenthoodorgplann...
PPNNE's communications and marketing program works to increase awareness of PPNNE services, our sexual health expertise, and our accessible, affordable, and nonjudgmental care - leading to more underserved people receiving services. This multi-faceted work includes updating web content, health center signage, social media, patient communications, digital and print ads, and more. In FY23, this work continued to play a key role in ensuring that people knew they could rely on PPNNE for essential sexual and reproductive health care. As one indicator of the effectiveness of this outreach, during FY23 PPNNE served 15,372 patients who were new or hadn't been seen in the past three years, primarily young people and those with low incomes.