Insider News June 2021
In this issue:
- President & CEO Message
- COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Campaign
- Closing Out the School Year
- Join Us for Suffolk Supports PPHP
- How You Can Help
- In Case You Missed It
Dear Friends,
There is always a lot to celebrate in June—Pride Month, Immigrant Heritage Month, and Juneteenth to name a few.
Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic is proud to honor the strength and resilience of the LGBTQ+ movement and we celebrate the diversity of the entire community. No matter your gender identity, race, income, ZIP code, immigration status, or sexual orientation, we are committed to delivering health services and education to all people with care and respect. During Pride Month and beyond, we are here to help you live fully and realize your dreams for a strong, healthy future.
Since 2014, Immigrant Heritage Month has marked nationwide efforts to gather and celebrate the countless contributions that immigrants and their children have made — and continue to make — to the United States. Nearly 20 million essential immigrant workers are helping to keep the country healthy, safe, and fed during the COVID-19 pandemic. This month the Biden administration announced Haitians residing in the U. S., as of May 21, 2021, will be eligible to apply for temporary protected status. This decision will provide protection to more than 100,000 Haitians and keep families together and safe.
June 19 is Juneteenth. Also known as Freedom Day, the Black Fourth of July, or, in some regions of the South, Emancipation Day, Juneteenth is an American holiday that honors the date June 19, 1865. On this day, in Galveston, Texas, almost two and half years after the 1863 Emancipation Proclamation was issued, enslaved African Americans in that state were the last to finally be informed of their liberation from slavery. Juneteenth celebrates African American freedom and achievement, while encouraging continuous self-development and radical self-care. As it takes on a more national, symbolic and even global perspective, the events of 1865 in Texas are remembered today as touchstones for organizing around Black lives, justice and freedom for all Black people. PPHP’s health centers and administrative offices will be closed in observance of this day.
Thank you to everyone who contributed to our program, Period Packs, to help end period poverty. With the generosity of supporters like you, there are just a few more items we need for our Period Packs which will then be made available on our SmartWheels mobile health centers and distributed to community partners. Our first community partner is Mothers on the Inside which helps pregnant people who are incarcerated.
Thank you again for your continued support of PPHP and our health care services, education programs, and advocacy efforts.
In solidarity,
Vince Russell
President & CEO
COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Campaign
We are excited to announce the launch of Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic’s COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Campaign!
Launching June 15, 2021 and running all summer, PPHP will be organizing a comprehensive COVID-19 Vaccine Outreach Campaign to educate our communities in Putnam, Rockland, Suffolk, and Westchester counties about the COVID-19 vaccine effectiveness and increase vaccine confidence, and we need your help!
Volunteers can sign up for neighborhood canvassing, crowd canvassing, phone banking, and text banking opportunities where we will do the following:
- accurate information about vaccine effectivenes
- educate people about where they can get vaccinated
- ask people to pledge to get vaccinated
We have ambitious goals, and we will only be able to reach those goals if we have your help, so continue to check back as more events will be added periodically!
This school year is coming to an end for our Education & Training team and peer educators. The Westchester Teen Information and Peer Services (TIPS) participants, TIPSters, concluded their school year with a virtual celebration on May 24. They expressed how happy they were to have learned about sex education and how open our space was in helping them feel comfortable talking about sex education topics. They finished the meeting by playing Among Us, a popular multiplayer online game they enjoy playing.
The Rockland TIPSters ended their year with a virtual celebration on June 2. The meeting included what they called the Presentation Game. Each TIPSter private messaged another Zoom participant a topic and the receiving TIPSters had 20 minutes to create a TedTalk-type presentation on the subject. All attending TIPSters presented their topics and had a chance to ask questions. They presentations were made to be satirical and they were all very silly. The meeting closed out with some reflections on TIPS and congratulating graduating seniors.
In the fall, we will be recruiting new TIPSters for Westchester, Rockland counties, and for the first time, Suffolk County. Be sure to look for information later this summer.
Our Education & Training team is finishing the spring semester education programs. As of the end of May, we reached 2,173 participants through 539 education programs at schools and with community partners. We look forward to starting our summer programming and education-related projects.
For more information about our Education and Training programs, visit https://www.plannedparenthood.org/planned-parenthood-hudson-peconic/local-education-training.
Last Call for Tickets for Suffolk Supports PPHP
Suffolk Supports PPHP is happening next week—get your tickets now so you don’t miss it! On Wednesday, June 23 from 6:30 – 7:30 p.m., we are honoring Dorothy Lichtenstein with the Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic Impact Award, and Dr. Harvard Lyman with the Planned Parenthood Hudson Peconic Legacy Award.
PIX 11’s Emmy Award-winning newscaster Kirstin Cole is joining us again to emcee the evening and DJ Twilo will provide musical entertainment, and the evening will conclude with a panel discussion from PPHP team members.
Sponsorship packages, journal advertisements, and tickets are on sale now at www.pphp.org/SuffolkSupports2021. You can invite your friends to join your virtual table so you can enjoy the evening together. This is going to be a great evening you won’t want to miss.
You can continue to make Care. No Matter What. possible!
A monthly gift to PPHP ensures security for patients in your local communities. Consider joining our Monthly Giving Program today at www.pphp.org/donatetoday.
Double your impact! Does your employer have a matching gift program? Check with your Human Resources Department to find out. For questions, contact the Development Department at [email protected].
Committed to safeguarding the future of reproductive health care? Consider leaving a legacy gift to PPHP in your will. Please contact the Development Department at [email protected].
Do you have a little bit of time to get more involved? Visit www.pphp.org for ways you can help.
PPHP Chief Medical Officer Dr. Meera Shah--NYT: The Pill Helped Start the Sexual Revolution. What Will Phexxi Do?
WaPo: Planned Parenthood ramps up efforts to boost vaccinations
Non Profit Quarterly: Let’s Talk about Sex, Sexism, and Health Equity
Healthline: Male Birth Control: Understanding Your Current and Future Options
Reuters: Major rulings including Obamacare loom for U.S. Supreme Court
Lifehacker: Teens Might Actually Watch These Sex Ed Videos From Planned Parenthood