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NEW YORK — Fast Company has announced its annual rankings of the world’s Most Innovative Companies for 2019, and Planned Parenthood Federation of America was named a 2019 Most Innovative Company in Education for providing young people with easy access to sex education tools online. Last year, Planned Parenthood was selected by Fast Company as a Most Innovative Company on the Top 10 Most Innovative Companies in Design. In 2016, Planned Parenthood’s waiting and recovery room design guidelines won the Innovation by Design Award for Health.

For over 100 years, Planned Parenthood has helped educate people about their bodies and sexual health. Today, Planned Parenthood works in schools and communities across the country to provide sex education and outreach to 1.2 million people of all ages, and reaches millions more online through innovative tech tools, including our new sexual health chatbot Roo, our Chat/Text program, our free period and birth control tracker app Spot On, and a host of other educational resources on our website and social media platforms.

As the nation’s largest provider of sex education, Planned Parenthood is thrilled with the recognition of our commitment to providing accurate, personalized sexual and reproductive health education and information to as many people as possible, no matter who they are or where they live,” said Dr. Leana Wen, president of Planned Parenthood Federation of America. “Young people deserve to have the information and skills they need to take care of their health and build their futures. Every day, Planned Parenthood works to provide young people with personalized, immediate, and accurate resources and information  -- without shame or judgment. 

Sex education equips young people with skills to help them have healthy relationships, make decisions about sex, think critically about the world, be a good ally to others, and love themselves for who they are. Today’s technology makes it possible to reach young people who aren’t receiving enough sex education in schools, and can help to supplement the education that young people are receiving. Planned Parenthood is always looking for innovative ways to meet young people where they are to help them navigate sex and relationships:

  • The most recent addition to Planned Parenthood’s digital education tools is our new sexual health chatbot, Roo. Teens can anonymously ask Roo questions about sex, bodies, identity and more, and get the answers they need within seconds, day or night. In addition to answering common questions, Roo also helps users get the right resources at the right time whether it’s information on our website, chatting with a live educator, or making an appointment at a health center. Roo is the first tool of its kind.
  • Planned Parenthood’s Chat/Text program allows young people to have live conversations with trained educators via instant message or texts, reaching them with critical information about sexual health when they are in need of fast, confidential help. We’ve had more than one million conversations since the Chat/Text program started in 2010, and research found that Chat/Text has led to increased health center visits, greater use of condoms in addition to another method of birth control (“dual use”), and increased familiarity with IUDs and implants, the most effective reversible birth control methods.
  • Spot On, Planned Parenthood’s free birth control and period tracker app, helps users track and predict their periods, understand their menstrual cycle, and stay on top of their birth control -- as well as providing guidance, tips, and fun facts from Planned Parenthood experts. Spot On empowers you to take control of your period, your birth control, and your sexual health and provides a fun, easy approach to demystifying your period and learning about your body.
  • Planned Parenthood websites provide sexual and reproductive health information and tools online 24/7 in both English and Spanish, and receive more than 100 million visits a year. We redesigned and revamped PlannedParenthood.org to better meet the needs of our millions of visitors: It’s now more user friendly, gender neutral, and health literate. The new PlannedParenthood.org features updated and revamped pages for teensparents, and educators to help them better access the information and resources they need, when they need them.
  • Young people can find information and submit questions on our Tumblr, TwitterFacebook, and Instagram pages. 
  • Planned Parenthood’s growing library of YouTube videos model healthy communication for young people. The library includes Consent 101, a Webby Award-winning video series designed to help young people have conversations about consent, and a series showing how to talk about safer sex, getting tested for STIs, and disclosing an STI.

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Planned Parenthood is the nation’s leading provider and advocate of high-quality, affordable health care for women, men, and young people, as well as the nation’s largest provider of sex education. With more than 600 health centers across the country, Planned Parenthood affiliates serve all patients with care and compassion, with respect and without judgment. Through health centers, programs in schools and communities, and online resources, Planned Parenthood is a trusted source of reliable health information that allows people to make informed health decisions. We do all this because we care passionately about helping people lead healthier lives.

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