Tomorrow's Providers

Last year, PPC established a medical residency training program with the Yale School of Medicine, ensuring that the school's class of second-year ob/gyn residents, who previously had little exposure to family planning and virtually no exposure to abortion, now complete two four-week rotations at PPC. There, they are trained in both vacuum aspiration and medication abortion procedures, as well as family planning and reproductive health care services. This is in addition to a program affiliated with Griffin Hospital, in Derby, CT, in which several fourth-year residents participate in a month-long residency program in family planning at PPC.

The State of the States

In Connecticut, access to abortion is not in jeopardy in the way that it is in other states. The state earns a well-respected "A" from the NARAL Pro-Choice America's "Who Decides?" report card, ranking third in the nation, behind only California (number one) and Washington (number two). In 2000, there were 50 abortion providers in Connecticut — an increase of 25 percent from 1996.

But in many states across the country, the picture is far more grim. Studies have shown that 87 percent of counties in the United States, and 97 percent of the country's rural counties, have no abortion providers at all. And the number of physicians providing abortions in the U.S. has declined by 37 percent since the early 1980s. Those who remain are getting older. Indeed, more than half of all ob/gyns offering abortion services are more than 50 years old.

PPC's provider training initiative comes at a vital time for reproductive rights because the program does not serve the state of Connecticut alone. Health care providers trained in abortion and reproductive health in Connecticut may go on to provide services in any of the 50 states. In areas such as South Dakota, where the lone abortion provider must be flown in from another state to provide care, a new provider could make a real difference in the lives of a new generation of women.

Medical Students for Choice

In addition to the provider training program, PPC has teamed with the chapter of Medical Students for Choice at the University of Connecticut Medical School. Medical Students for Choice is a nonprofit coalition of nearly 7,000 medical students fighting to put abortion education and training on the class syllabi of medical schools throughout North America.

Together, PPC and Medical Students for Choice have established an elective for-credit course co-taught by PPC's vice president of public affairs and its director of medical and clinician services. This course is designed to broaden the medical student's understanding of how public policy affects the quality and availability of reproductive health care services. Lecture topics have included emergency contraception, medication abortion, and options counseling training, among other topics.

Looking Forward

Thus far, PPC's programs have been a resounding success. Kat Campbell, a student in the residency program, says the program "has been a great opportunity to gain exposure to abortion procedures and at the same time has allowed me to reaffirm my commitment to providing reproductive health care." Recently, PPC met with Dr. Men-Jean Lee, the program director at Yale University Medical School. "Yale is very satisfied with the experience and training the residents are receiving at PPC and are especially happy with the number of patients the residents see," says Mary Bawza, chief operating officer of PPC. She adds that PPC is very satisfied, too. "After our first year we have learned a great deal about running a residency program and look forward to the next round of residents and continuing to expand their experience and exposure to reproductive health care."

For its outstanding commitment to the next generation of abortion providers, PPC received a PPFA Affiliate Excellence Award in Clinical Training at the Planned Parenthood Annual Conference in March 2006.

© 2006 Planned Parenthood Federation of America, Inc. All rights reserved.