To our valued patients,

Over the past few weeks, our country has begun a long overdue reckoning with racial inequalities and systemic racism that Black, Indigenous, and other People of Color (BIPOC) face. We are optimistic that this will bring real, substantial changes and reforms to the health care system and all public institutions.  We know that this cannot become a reality without an introspective assessment on areas where PPLM can advance our efforts to achieve racial equity.

Over the last 3 years, PPLM has made meaningful changes in our organization to shift both focus and actions towards achieving equity. We remain dedicated to rooting out and dismantling structural racism and white supremacy wherever it exists in our organization — our hiring, our onboarding and professional development, our services, our partnerships, our financial supports or any other way we operate. We must also be part of the solution to address any remnants of it in health care.

Here are some concrete next actions that we, the PPLM leadership team and board of directors, will implement in our efforts to improve how we specifically support our Black patients, staff members, and community partners.

1. Establish Juneteenth (June 19^th) as a paid holiday for all PPLM staff. Starting this year, offices and health centers will be closed on this day every year.
2. Continue to develop and support a POC Caucus and White Accountability group for staff.
3. Increase support of organizations that are led by or serve Black, Indigenous, and/or people of color (BIPOC). We will allocate 80% of our budget in dues, fees, events, and sponsorships to BIPOC-led and/or -serving organizations.
4. The PPLM board will dedicate a future meeting to collective learning on white privilege and anti-racism.
5. The PPLM board has committed to a 2:1 match of staff donations to partner organizations that are POC-led and/or -serving.

PPLM’s mission is to ensure every person in Massachusetts – regardless of their race, income, gender identity, sexual orientation, abilities, immigration status, or lack of insurance – can access expert sexual and reproductive health care, information, and education without shame or judgment.

I am wholeheartedly and unequivocally committed to seeking out and correcting implicit bias and structural racism within our organization so each and every one of our patients can access high-quality, compassionate, and expert care from PPLM providers and staff members who respect and are knowledgeable about our patients’ unique needs and perspectives.  

Thank you for choosing PPLM for your sexual and reproductive health care. We are committed to showing our patients that PPLM is a truly anti-racist organization and demonstrating in our words and, more importantly, in our actions that Black Lives Matter.

In solidarity,

Jen