Equity Initiatives

PPLM’s Equity Action Plan (EAP) 

With inputs from staff, leadership, and community members, PPLM updated its Equity Action Plan (EAP), originally articulated in 2018, to include four interlocking goals: (1) to develop and implement PPLM’s recruitment/retention strategies that will result in a workforce and leadership that includes members of underrepresented communities; (2) to foster a welcome, transparent, and accountable work environment that will increase staff retention and establish paths of career development; (3) to offer inclusive, culturally appropriate health care and education to all patients, partners, communities, and clients; and (4) to build partnerships and collaborations that reflect the diverse populations served by PPLM. 

Strategic Health Equity Initiatives (SHEI)

Based on the EAP, PPLM’s Strategic Health Equity Initiatives (SHEI) are designed to affirm Massachusetts’ position as a leader in abortion care by strengthening access to safe, legal abortion for all people in the state, with a focus on expanding abortion services especially in the underserved region of southeastern Massachusetts.  

In greater Springfield PPLM is working to reduce the burden of sexually transmitted infections (STIs), including HIV, for Black and/or Latino/a/x people, who are between 6-10 times more likely to be diagnosed with HIV than their peer groups. In greater Worcester, programs and partnerships aim to decrease stigma and improve access to sexual and reproductive health care and education for people of color, whose health outcomes are disproportionately affected by lack of access to quality care.  

In This Together 

The Equity and Engagement team also guides internal efforts to imbed diversity, equity, inclusion, and belonging (DEI+B) in all aspects of our work. To ensure fair representation of people of color in our applicant pools, we strive to create an environment where 40% of candidates from diverse backgrounds move forward in our interview process, promoting racial and gender diversity at every stage. This commitment goes beyond numbers; it's about creating an equitable and welcoming workplace and ensuring equal opportunities for all candidates regardless of their racial or gender identities. 

The Organizational Development team has also expanded staff onboarding and refresher trainings on DEI+B, many of which follow Planned Parenthood Federation of America’s (PPFA) model of teaching values and standards. Through the PPFA Press Ganey Survey, the team also spearheaded the collection, analysis, and dissemination of data related to employees’ experiences, and ensured that trainings responded to the findings.