Part of the mission of Planned Parenthood of MN,SD and ND is to provide and promote high quality reproductive health and related services.
The Brainerd communtity has seen a dramatic decrease in the number hours at the local pp clinic to just 11hrs per week. This includes no evening or weekend hours to accomodate students or working men and women. This reduction in hours is in no way a reflection of the need in our community.......
* the local Planned Parenthood Clinic is seeing as many patients in 4 hours as are generally seen in a full 8 hr day. Many patients are late starting their contraception or late in getting contraceptive injections due to inability to get an appt. Many patients are turned away or go elsewhere due to the long wait for appointment times. It is very difficult for the staff to provide any service to "walk-in" patients as the schedule is full every week.
* the only hospital in the community does not give out any method of birth control or perform any related procedures
*Our local PP clinic is the sole source of free or reduced cost reproductive health care in our community and the surrounding area.
*Patients are asked to wait up to 6 weeks for appointments
*The teenage pregnancy rate for young women age 15-19 in Crow Wing County is 38/1000 teenagers according to statistics from 2006.
*There are several colleges in the area, hundreds of college and high school students in need of reproductive services, information and access to reproductive health care.
*Pills Now Pay Later Program is not available in our area, this proram allows for 1 year of birth control dispensed and a short office visit
*With the state and local budget cuts there will be more people without healthcare and in need of services, women in need are 4 times more likely to have an unintended pregnancy.
*Local social workers, nurses and other health professionals have found it frustrating to access Planned Parenthood for care for their patients.
We ask that Planned Parenthood of MN,SD and ND stand up to it's pledge to provide access to reproductive health care and services in our community where there is an identified need, barriers to access at other health care facilties and compelling statistical data to support any and all services provided.
Please sign the petition and send it on to increase access to reproductive health care in our community.
