Planned Parenthood of Southern New England

PPSNE is committed to improving the sexual health of CT and RI residents by offering accessible, preventive family planning services as well as sexuality advocacy and education.

Our reproductive health services include well woman exams, cancer screenings, birth control, treatment of abnormal cervical conditions, and testing and treatment for STIs. PPSNE is committed to addressing barriers to reproductive healthcare. We are experienced providers who are familiar with the challenges faced by many underserved women and young people, and have tailored our services to address them. For example, many of our patients work multiple jobs or are primary caregivers for children, so they have trouble coming to standard nine-to-five appointments. In order to address this concern, our centers offer evening and weekend hours as well as walk-in and same-day appointments. We also employ bilingual staff members, including trained medical interpreters, to help patients with limited English proficiency. Our compassionate, non-judgmental care makes us a trusted provider for the thousands of women, men and teens who turn to PPSNE for their health care needs.

PPSNE’s Education & Training Team reaches over 15,000 teens, parents and youth-serving professionals each year and this past year expanded our Teen Clinic program to Stamford, provided education to foster youth across our region, extended our “Real-Life, Real Talk” experience to more parents, and expanded our professional training initiatives. PPSNE provides the skills and support individuals need to make well-informed and positive decisions about their sexuality and sexual health. Our programs are affordable, interactive, medically-accurate and age-appropriate and are facilitated by skilled sexuality education experts. PPSNE’s education and training department intends to expand access to quality health care by offering childbirth preparation education classes at some of our sites in addition to . In addition, PPSNE plans to expand health equity by expanding our culturally competent interpretation services to include external customers.

Our advocacy efforts focus on the climate that PPSNE currently operates in which is filled with challenges to women’s health that are the worst we’ve faced in decades. In the last 5 years the number of PPSNE patients has grown by over 12%. PPSNE’s Public Policy & Advocacy department focuses on increasing our engagement with diverse communities and ensuring that critical legislation is passed that will assist the communities we serve.

Our primary goals are:
1. Reduce the rate of teen pregnancy in CT and RI.
2. Reduce rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) in CT and RI.
3. Reduce racial and ethnic disparities in reproductive health.
4. Increasing access to reproductive healthcare for women who have low income.

The most effective way to reduce teen pregnancy, unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is through preventive healthcare and education. Unfortunately, many CT and RI residents don’t have access to either. As a result, many teens turn to their friends for information that is often incomplete or incorrect. PPSNE is committed to improving the sexual health of CT and RI residents by offering accessible, preventive family planning services as well as sexuality education. Our reproductive health services include well woman exams, cancer screenings, birth control, treatment of abnormal cervical conditions, and testing and treatment for STIs.

PPSNE will continue to build on our 100+ year history of success. In FY20, PPSNE will expand our education program to include childbirth preparation education classes and build on recent legislative successes to promote reproductive justice in our communities. PPSNE is dedicated to make lasting change. The current political environment has offered PPSNE the opportunity to reinforce and expand our donor base as well as galvanize a movement.

An analysis of data from the Connecticut 2013 PRAMS (Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System) survey shows that while the overall unintended pregnancy rate is 28.5 percent, it is significantly higher for teens (87%), women 20-24 years of age (51.5%), low income (49.4%), and uninsured women (36.2%). In 2015, the most recent year statistics are available, more than 1,790 CT and RI teens gave birth and more than 16,000 sexually transmitted infections (STI) were diagnosed.

While these statistics are alarming, the next steps are clear: According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, the most effective way to reduce teen pregnancy, unintended pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections (STIs) is through preventive healthcare and education. Unfortunately, many CT and RI residents don’t have access to either. As a result, many teens turn to their friends for information that is often incomplete or incorrect. PPSNE is committed to improving the sexual health of CT and RI residents by offering accessible, preventive family planning services as well as sexuality education. Our reproductive health services include well woman exams, cancer screenings, birth control, treatment of abnormal cervical conditions, and testing and treatment for STIs.

PPSNE ensures that no patient is turned away because of an inability to pay. We serve low-income, uninsured women. Last year, our health centers served nearly 80,000 patients. Of our patients, 13% are teenagers, 87% are female, and 63% are people of color. Twenty five percent are uninsured and 75% report an income at or below 200% of the federal poverty level. We charge our uninsured patients according to a sliding fee scale based on income and family size, so most pay a fraction of what they would be charged at a private physician’s office.