One Year After Roe Fell, Planned Parenthood Announces New Federation-Wide Strategy; Plans More Than $70M Investment To Expand Health Care Access & Advance Health Equity
For Immediate Release: May 23, 2023
Planned Parenthood Federation of America and Planned Parenthood Action Fund will be making more than $70M in increased investments in health care delivery, cutting edge technology, and building a powerful movement for abortion access at the state & local level; New strategy means reduction in national office workforce
WASHINGTON, DC - Today, Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA) and Planned Parenthood Action Fund (Action Fund) announced plans for a new federation-wide strategy and restructure to meet rising challenges amid the loss of abortion access, ongoing systemic health inequities, and attacks on our democracy. The Planned Parenthood national office has decided to invest more than $70 million in Planned Parenthood affiliates and to reimagine the role of the national organization, which means there will be a reduction in the workforce. Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America & Planned Parenthood Action Fund shared the new strategy and structure in a new blog post.
Statement by Alexis McGill Johnson, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America & Planned Parenthood Action Fund:
“Planned Parenthood has blazed a trail to make sexual and reproductive health care accessible for people across the country for more than 100 years. Every step of the way, we have faced political and legal challenges, and have fought to protect reproductive freedom and access to care. Without question, the world we are living in right now — the Supreme Court’s decision to overturn Roe v. Wade and the loss of abortion access, the weaponization of our courts and attacks on our democracy, the criminalization of providers and patients, and rampant misinformation — is vastly different than just a decade ago. Planned Parenthood must change too.
“Planned Parenthood’s power is in the scale of its infrastructure across the country. Planned Parenthood affiliates serve more than 2 million patients. Planned Parenthood has 18 million supporters. And more than 200 million people visit our websites every year to get honest, accurate information.
“Our big bet? Centering and scaling health equity in an ever-changing health care landscape, and building the infrastructure at the intersection of movements for freedom is our path forward. And it starts with investing in the states.
“Beginning this summer, PPFA and the Action Fund are expanding direct investment in the 49 independent Planned Parenthood affiliates across all 50 states and D.C. — so that they can continue to provide high-quality health care and education to more patients in the communities they serve; increase access to abortion care; and build a powerful movement for abortion access at the local and state level. PPFA will also make deeper investments in digital and health care platforms that provide patients streamlined access to sexual and reproductive health care and information no matter where they live.
“Investing more in Planned Parenthood local organizations, along with reimagining the role of the national office, means there will be a reduction in the national office workforce. We believe this strategic decision is essential to meet the current moment for Planned Parenthood patients and the future of reproductive health and rights. But this means we will be saying goodbye to some fierce and talented warriors on our staff who have fought tirelessly and bravely to serve our mission.
“We don’t take this moment lightly. We deeply value the national office staff who have shown up and shown out for us in the darkest of times over the last months and years. We want the best for them, as we do for Planned Parenthood patients. Our process with our staff has been designed with our values in mind: responsible transparency, and prioritizing their dignity and transition support. In March, we shared the planned strategic shifts with national office staff and informed them that some of our dedicated and talented colleagues may be affected. On Monday, we informed them that affected staff will receive notice of job loss in mid-June.
“The investments and structural changes we need to see through in order to restore rights and increase access to health care will take time, and I am confident that the changes we are making to the national office will help us get there. We are still the same Planned Parenthood that never backs down. We are going to fight like hell to restore reproductive freedom and reach our north star: health equity. No matter what.”
To learn more about the new strategy click here.
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