2001
Sarah Stoesz becomes the new President and CEO of Planned Parenthood Minnesota/South Dakota.
Planned Parenthood begins providing clinical services in St. Cloud after Tri-CAP discontinues its family planning program.
The International Falls clinic is closed and Planned Parenthood begins offering family planning services at the International Falls Hospital.
Planned Parenthood's Highland Park and Sioux Falls clinics begin offering medical abortions using Mifeprex.
2002
Planned Parenthood Minnesota/South Dakota wins a lawsuit in federal court challenging a South Dakota state law that limits access to abortion. South Dakota appeals this decision.
The Board of Directors adopts a three-year strategic plan focusing on long-term sustainability. The Board also adopts the new mission statement: “Affirming human rights to reproductive health and freedom”.
The 2002 elections result in an anti-choice Governor and legislature in Minnesota for the first time since Roe v. Wade. South Dakota affirms its anti-choice Governor and legislature.
Late-night gunfire into our Brainerd and Grand Rapids clinics cause substantial property damage but no injuries. Board issues $10,000 reward for information leading to the arrest and conviction of those responsible.
First annual “Celebrate Planned Parenthood” fundraising event is held.
Executive management team established; begins making internal investments in infrastructure and revamping operations to tackle budget deficit.
PAC is established.
501C4 website is launched.
2003
A federal ban on abortion procedures is passed by Congress and signed into law by President Bush. This law is immediately challenged by Planned Parenthood and others as unconstitutional.
Planned Parenthood Minnesota/South Dakota makes plans to open an office in North Dakota, the only state in the nation without a Planned Parenthood presence. The office will provide public affairs and educational program, but will not include clinical services.
Board of Directors reaffirms in a board resolution that Planned Parenthood will not accept public funds with “Gag Rule” attached.
Governor Pawlenty signs into law a mandatory 24-hour waiting period before abortion, which requires doctors to repeat state-scripted information to their patients at least 24- hours before providing abortion care.
Planned Parenthood consolidates clinic administrative functions, achieving savings of $1 million a year.
Planned Parenthood launches several Teen Councils, an innovative model that trains highly motivated teens to serve as peer educators, make educational presentations, and participate in community service activities.
Through the Global Partners program, Planned Parenthood collaborates with Mexfam, the leading Mexican NGO family planning organization.
Planned Parenthood Minnesota/South Dakota celebrates its 75th anniversary.
“Hub and Spoke” clinic management structure is established.
2004
Dr. Carol Ball is named new Medical Director.
In recognition of our expansion into North Dakota, our organization name changes to Planned Parenthood Minnesota, North Dakota, South Dakota (PPMNS).
South Dakota legislature passes a bill banning all abortions in the state beginning at conception. Governor vetoes the bill on a technicality at the last moment.
Planned Parenthood launches Express Care clinics, which offer quick, convenient access to pregnancy testing, birth control, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections without requiring a full exam.
Attempts to put a “Gag Rule” on state family planning funding are defeated.
Planned Parenthood expands its grassroots advocacy work to encourage patients and supporters to participate in the democratic process. The number of people on our Planned Parenthood Action Network hits 19,000.
Teen Council is launched in the Twin Cities.
South Dakota Circuit Court overturns the District Court’s ruling in favor of PPMNS, in lawsuit regarding the state law restricting access to abortion.
Our Global Partners partner, Mexfam, visits our affiliate.
Under the leadership of Planned Parenthood and other non-profit organizations, the Minnesota March for Choice Coalition organizes more than 3,000 Minnesotans for the historic, one-million-strong March for Women’s Lives in Washington, D.C.
2005
PPMNS serves more than 58,000 women and men in twenty-four clinics throughout Minnesota and South Dakota.
PPMNS implements behind-the-scenes efforts to better serve patients through new practice management and scheduling software, a new telephone system, and other operational improvements.
PPMNS reaches more than 25,000 youth, women, and men through its education and training programs.
PPMNS initiates litigation in federal court to fight a South Dakota law requiring physicians to give state-scripted, ideologically based, medically inaccurate information to women seeking abortion care.
PPMNS recruits tens of thousands of new members to our Minnesota Planned Parenthood Action Network, for a total of 65,780 members, and increases the size of our South Dakota Planned Parenthood Action Network by 40%.
Once again, PPMNS defeats a “gag rule” in the Minnesota legislature, which would have prevented women who receive publicly subsidized health care from getting full and honest information about their reproductive health care options.
PPMNS plays a leading role in fighting “pharmacist refusal,” which denies women access to contraceptives, including emergency contraception.
2006
PPMNS Launches the first of Planned Parenthood’s PLAN Express Care clinics in Woodbury and Apple Valley. These clinics focus on non-exam-based services and have expanded access in uniquely underserved communities.
Planned Parenthood implements the 1115 Medicaid Waiver in Minnesota. This program represents the first new source of federal dollars for family planning in decades. The Waiver is known as the Minnesota Family Planning Program by the Department of Human Services; Planned Parenthood has re-branded the program as 4NOW, which has proven to be quite successful in both recruiting and enrolling patients.
PPMNS defeats the historic abortion ban in South Dakota. The people of South Dakota reject the near-complete ban on abortions by an overwhelming 12 percentage points.
PPMNS significantly changes the composition of the Minnesota legislature and also improves the composition of the South Dakota legislature. Through our grassroots and legislative advocacy programs, we help to elect additional pro-choice, pro-family planning legislators in both states.
Al Gore serves as keynote speaker for Celebrate Planned Parenthood, securing the largest-ever attendance at this annual gala event (1000+ people).
2007
PPMNS achieves significant legislative victories in Minnesota, including a 25% increase in Medicaid reimbursement rates; a $2.3 million increase in state FPSP funding; nurse dispensing privileges for oral contraceptives; and the inclusion of family planning providers in the state drug purchasing network.
PPMNS opens PLAN Express Care clinic in Eden Prairie.
PPMNS receives 2007 Regional Diversity and Fund for the Future awards from PPFA.
PPMNS enhances our online capacity to serve patients, including a redesign and relaunch of both our 501c3 and 501c4 websites. PPMNS also joins the Planned Parenthood Online (PPOL) portal, which will host our 501c3 site.
PPMNS launches our online patient features including “Ask a Nurse”, “Request an Appointment”, and “Request a Refill.
PPMNS pioneers our Clinics Without Walls/Outreach Health Centers for Hmong and African immigrant communities as part of our health disparities initiative. PPMNS opens our African Outreach Health Center in Brooklyn Park in collaboration with Minnesota African Women’s Association and plans to open the first of two Hmong Outreach Health Centers in early 2008 in collaboration with Southeast Asian Community Council.
PPMNS receives a three-year renewal of our Title X grant, securing federal funding through 2010.
PPMNS achieves a 4-year accreditation from PPFA.
Teen Council members are selected to serve on PPFA’s first-ever National Young Leaders Council.
“EC in the ER”, a bill requiring emergency rooms to provide information about emergency contraception to survivors of sexual assault, finally passes in Minnesota.
PPMNS defeats 4 out of 5 anti-choice bills in our first-ever North Dakota legislative session. Also helps pass a proactive HPV education bill in the state.
PPMNS confirms our first-ever North Dakota board member and initiates a North Dakota advisory committee.
PPMNS defeats all anti-choice legislation in South Dakota.
Planned Parenthood receives Olmsted County’s 2007 “Live For Others – Healthy Communities” award for our Rochester Teen Council.
PPMNS launches our Youth Power education program for African immigrant youth.
PPMNS relocates our Fairmont clinic.
PPMNS convenes our annual Good Friday solidarity event with a record number of supporters (439).
Strobe Talbott serves as keynote speaker for Celebrate Planned Parenthood annual gala.
2008
PPMNS celebrates our affiliate’s 80th anniversary of service in Minnesota.
PPMNS serve more than 64,000 patients across 27 clinic locations.
PPMNS achieves significant successes at the Minnesota legislature, including expedited partner therapy for certain STIs and a provision allowing Registered Nurses to dispense all contraceptives.
PPMNS cultivates a 12-member advisory committee in North Dakota to support and expand our presence in this state.
PPMNS hosts our 4th-annual North Dakota Open House, drawing nearly 70 attendees.
Also host our 3rd-annual Women4Women Lobby Day in South Dakota, drawing nearly 200 attendees.
PPMNS successfully defeats the second South Dakota abortion ban ballot initiative in two years by an 11-point margin.
PPMNS renovates our Duluth clinic and its Education and Outreach space, creating the Duluth Teen Resource Center as a local community gathering spot for youth and youth-serving advocates.
PPMNS launches Spanish-language marketing materials, including a fotonovela and a translation of our 4NOW materials into Hoy Por Hoy (Today for Today).
PPMNS implements the Pills Now/Pay Later program for patients. Also launches an online bill payment mechanism for patients.
PPMNS organizes Celebrate Planned Parenthood, with Doris Kearns Goodwin, to be the second-largest Celebrate in PPMNS history (more than 1,000 people attended).
PPMNS creates a popular house party theme, known as “Sex Ed: Then and Now”, which juxtaposes past sex education curricula with current best practice in the field.
PPMNS launches Healthy Choices, a newsletter for our donors and advocates.
PPMNS hosts PPFA Development Officers’ Conference for Planned Parenthood development staff from across the country.
PPMNS receives the Central Region Volunteer Assistance Grant to engage a volunteer project in North Dakota, and also receives national recognition for both our Volunteer Programs Department and several of its volunteers.
Education and Outreach department pioneers our first mother-son retreat, promoting strong parent-child connectedness between mothers (or female mentors) and their sons.
PPMNS celebrates the nomination of two of our Teen Council members to PPFA’s Young Leaders Council.
PPMNS hosts an Education and Outreach Showcase event for PPMNS donors and supporters.
PPMNS is honored by the Chicano Latino Affairs Council for our Latino education programs: Que Onda and Entre Amigas.
