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Relocation Efforts Underway: Rochester and Buffalo

Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York underwent a market assessment in 2019 which revealed potential gaps in our services and opportunities for growth by providing easier access to more patients. This guided the decision to relocate our Greece Health Center to a space in the Brighton-Henrietta area. We closed our Greece Health Center on January 1, 2021 and expect to begin providing services at a new location in Brighton-Henrietta by the end of this year. The new space will double the clinical space that was available at our Greece Health Center, will provide increased space for family planning, and expand medical and in-clinic abortion services. In the interim, the University Ave. location increased health center hours and we will be opening a temporary health center in Brighton-Henrietta this fall.

Our Buffalo Health Center is also in the process of relocating. With changes in abortion care providers in Buffalo and the possibility of increased restrictions on abortion access and family planning in neighboring states like Pennsylvania and Ohio, it is likely that we will see a large increase in patient volume in Buffalo. We have been working to ensure we are able to accommodate the potential surge while continuing to serve our current patient base. Our current location will remain open until our new site is up and running so there is no disruption in patient services. This new location almost doubles the clinical space of our current health center and will provide increased space for family planning and medical abortions, as well as new space to expand in-clinic abortion services.

Responsible Investments Help Provide Care, No Matter What

Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York saw a strong financial close to 2020 and the audit committee recently recognized PPCWNY for an increase in contributions throughout the year, including planned gifts from donors to PPCWNY.

Donors who remember PPCWNY in their wills help make our mission possible over the long term, as they provide flexible spending when they are realized. With an unexpected pandemic, the over $1M estate gifts we received in the past year helped us keep our doors open so that we could continue to provide health care in the communities we serve. We remain ever grateful to the individuals and families whose plans made all the difference to us.

Alan Resnick, former chair of PPCWNY’s Investment Committee stated, “I’m proud to be handing the charge of the Investment Committee over to our new Chair, Susan Halpern. PPCWNY’s endowment has grown in recent months. It is currently positioned in the top quartile of similarly sized endowments (of less than $50M). This success demonstrates responsible investment strategies.”

Spotlight on Philanthropy: Because I CARE

Colleen Donaldson has been an active volunteer with Planned Parenthood for over 40 years. She firmly believes that as human beings we have an essential right to control our own fertility.  Colleen grew up in Rochester and counts herself fortunate as she was able to get family planning health care services at her local Planned Parenthood while a college student in the 1970s.

Access to family planning services is personal to Colleen. Colleen’s grandmother raised seven young children alone after her husband passed away. Colleen’s great-grandmother was also a single parent to 11 children—long before social support services were available. Colleen knows the matriarchs in her family would have been grateful for the birth control options that are available today.

Colleen’s volunteer service with Planned Parenthood began while she was a graduate intern—due to her experiences as a patient, Colleen knew she wanted to support the compassionate and dedicated staff. Like staff, volunteers go through extensive training, “I learned so much from staff, it was just a joy to work with everyone.” In addition to assisting with fundraising at her local Planned Parenthood, Colleen was also involved in her local Speaker’s Bureau where one member also served on the board of PPCWNY and invited Colleen to join the board. “Serving on the board was a wonderful learning experience as a young person.” It wasn’t long before Colleen lead the board as Chair. Over the years, Colleen has served eight terms on the board of PPCWNY and remains an active volunteer today as the Chair of Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York’s monthly giving society, Because I CARE.

Giving monthly began out of practicality for Colleen, it was a budget friendly way for her to make a larger gift and have greater impact. Through her volunteer service Colleen saw firsthand the need for ongoing support. Monthly donors in Because I CARE help PPCWNY through their steady support—allowing the agency to budget effectively.

In addition to being an advocate for Planned Parenthood for many years, Colleen is also passionate about voting rights. Since most of her volunteer service at PPCWNY has been focused on public affairs, Colleen has seen how changes in administrations affect access to funding. “If we don’t have the federal, state, and local support, we cannot accomplish our goals or our mission. Vote for the candidates who support the issues you care about!”

Excelling at Clinical Quality Measures

Recently, Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York was recognized for being above the national median for all Planned Parenthood organizations in all five clinical quality measures.

Nationally, the median for chlamydia screenings among Planned Parenthood health centers is 61% and PPCWNY reached 75%, where the measure is the percentage of women 16–24 years of age who were identified as sexually active and who had at least one test for chlamydia during the year. The median for cervical cancer screenings is 49% and PPCWNY saw 60% screening for women ages 21—64. With regards to contraceptive care, the national median is 63% and PPCWNY reached 71% for patients ages 15—44. PPCWNY saw 21% of patients ages 15—44 access long-acting reversible contraception, with the national median at 17%. Finally, the national median for tobacco use screening and intervention is 28%, PPCWNY was well above that at 60% for all patients identified as tobacco users.

Share Your Story

Have you ever been to a Planned Parenthood health center? Are you a donor to Planned Parenthood of Central and Western New York? Do you volunteer with us? We want to hear from you! Email us at [email protected] and let us know about your experience visiting a health center, tell us why you support PPCWNY, or share why you donate your time with us. With your permission, we may feature your story in a future newsletter, appeal for support, or other publication to raise awareness of all the ways your local Planned Parenthood helps protect and provide health care and education that empowers individuals and families. With respect. Without judgment. No matter what.

Get Involved Locally with PPCWNY

When you support Planned Parenthood, you join with thousands of your friends and neighbors who believe in the mission of Planned Parenthood to protect and support every person’s right to make voluntary, informed decisions about sexuality and reproduction in order to lead a healthy and fulfilling life. Learn more!