Hello friends,
This has been another extremely stressful month, being hit by the one-two punch of the
Delta variant surge and the wildres that have raged through parts of California and
Nevada. I hope you and your loved ones are safe!
I want to thank our Chief Medical Ofcer Dr. Laura Dalton for her calm and inspired
leadership as we continue to face down the virus as well as our dedicated staff for
continuing to help patients who need us so much -- and our stalwart supporters who
make our health services and education programs possible.
Meanwhile, in the middle of all of this, California has a recall election coming up on
Sept. 14, a time when we’re not accustomed to voting. Though Planned Parenthood
Mar Monte has no position on the election, I urge you send in the ballot that has been
mailed to you and make your voice heard.
If you have any questions about how the recall election works, feel free to consult
the web site run by PPMM’s 501(c)(4) political and advocacy organization, Planned
Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte (PPAMM). You can nd PPAMM here.
Also, as you know, we have been bracing for the start of the next U.S. Supreme Court
session this fall. Two cases that will have a cataclysmic effect on reproductive rights
for millions of Americans are coming before the Court’s new 6-3 extreme conservative
majority.
One case, which I told you about in last month’s Full Mar Monte, is a challenge to a
draconian abortion ban in Texas, Senate Bill 8 (SB 8.) The Supreme Court declined a
request from Texas abortion providers, including Planned Parenthood, to block the law,
and it went into effect September 1. Texas SB 8 does not just ban abortion after only six
weeks, but it allows anyone from any state – including complete strangers, such as anti-
abortion protesters in other states– to sue anyone in Texas who provides or intends to
provide an abortion after six weeks.
This law attempts to elude legal challenges to enforcement by public ofcials and,
instead, makes private citizens responsible for enforcement. It is expressly designed
to intimidate medical staff at health centers so that abortion providers will close their
doors.
The other case is from Mississippi, Dobbs v. Jackson Women’s Health Organization,
regarding a state ban on abortions after 15 weeks, and it is a direct challenge to Roe
v. Wade. It's a test case to determine the constitutionality of all state laws that ban
abortion before viability. Though one of the most conservative U.S. appeals courts in
the country blocked the law, the Supreme Court has agreed to hear it.
If the Court upholds these laws, similar ones would likely be adopted in at least 23
states – rendering Roe v. Wade irrelevant for millions of people. We will keep you
informed about these legal challenges and how you can join efforts to support people
in other states who may have their access to safe, legal abortion all but eliminated.
Thank you for standing with us as we continue to help our communities through
this historic public health crisis and as we ght to protect reproductive rights in this
forbidding national climate. We couldn’t do it without you.
With deep gratitude,
LETTER FROM THE CEO
Participating in California’s Sept. 14 recall election
And SCOTUS update
The Full Mar Monte
AUGUST 2021
SUPPORTERS
EDITION
The Delta variant and staff vaccine mandate
Q&A with Chief Medical Officer Dr. Laura Dalton
Since the Delta variant of the COVID-19 virus has sparked a new, even more dangerous
surge of the pandemic this summer, some state departments of public health –
including California’s -- have issued requirements that all health care workers be
vaccinated.
PPMM’s Chief Medical Ofcer
Dr. Laura Dalton
has held several onscreen Q&A
sessions with staff this month to answer questions, and there is a link, below, to more
COVID information on PPMM’s web site. The Full Mar Monte caught up with Dr. Dalton
to discuss the latest phase of the pandemic and what the vaccine mandate means for
everyone who works at our afliate.
Full Mar Monte:
Before we talk more about Delta and the PPMM vaccine mandate,
what are the dates that our new COVID-testing and vaccine policy go into effect?
Dr. Laura Dalton: Starting August 23, all staff not fully vaccinated are required to
arrange for weekly COVID-19 testing with a PCR laboratory test. By September 30, in
response to this month’s California State Public Health Ofcer Order, all PPMM staff
are required to have their rst dose of a one-dose regimen COVID vaccine or their
second dose of a two-dose regimen.
FMM:
Are all staff members required to get the COVID vaccine even if they don’t
work in health centers or if they work in Nevada, which doesn’t have a state-ordered
mandate for health care workers?
Dr. Dalton: Yes. We want to maintain our one afliate, one approach model. So, all
staff members, regardless of the location where they work, must be vaccinated
by September 30. We can’t be sure there isn't a time when someone may need to
come on-site to deal with an issue. In order to comply with local regulations, we are
requiring all staff to get the vaccine, even if you work remotely from home. This also
applies to the weekly testing requirement.
FMM:
Ok, let’s talk a little about the Delta variant of the COVID virus. What does it
mean in terms of the path the pandemic has taken this summer?
Dr. Dalton: The Delta variant is so much more contagious than the rst strain of
COVID in 2020 that it’s almost like we’re in a new pandemic. Otherwise healthy
people in their thirties and forties are dying. More than 1,000 people a day are dying
in this country alone.
Breakthrough cases – when vaccinated people get COVID – are also happening more
often. We believe about 25% of new cases are breakthrough. So far, it’s very unlikely
that vaccinated people who get the virus will end up in the hospital, but they can still
spread COVID to others. This is a very serious situation.
FMM:
Do you think it’s likely that all vaccinated adults will be strongly encouraged
to get a booster shot eight months after they were first vaccinated?
Dr. Dalton: Yes, I anticipate a recommendation for all adults to receive a booster.
New emerging evidence suggests waning immunity against the Delta variant, with
much stronger protection after receiving a booster.
If not enough people are vaccinated, we need to consider what happens as this virus
keeps changing, possibly rendering the current vaccines useless. It’s impossible
to overstate how important it is that many more people get vaccinated as soon as
possible.
FMM:
Is there anything else you want everyone to know about PPMM’s
latest response to the pandemic?
Dr. Dalton: I want to be sure that everyone has their questions answered and
that they understand their health and safety is, as always, the top concern –
along with the health and safety of our patients I’m so inspired by the amazing
work all of our staff has done to keep our patients and communities safe
during the 18 months of this pandemic.
COVID vaccine
information on
PPMM website
Since the beginning of this year, PPMM
has produced a series of short (1-3 min.)
videos, highlighting the ways we serve our
communities. They show the amazing work
the afliate has done, from responding to
the pandemic to establishing gender afrming
care to providing abortion care in regions that
are “abortion deserts.”
Some of these videos have premiered at
major fundraising events presented by the
Development team, and they have been
posted on our social media channels. Some
have also been shared with California state
legislators.
We encourage you to check them out,
too — and feel free to share them on your
personal social media.
PPMM services in the Central Valley,
May 2021, from Capital Dinner
fundraiser
4:30 min./sec.
PPMM’s COVID-19 Response, from
March 2021 Peninsula Breakfast
fundraiser; 3:42 min./sec.
Mountain View health center,
from March 2021 Peninsula Breakfast
fundraiser
3:30 min./sec.
COVID Response video, Monterey
County, Febuary - March 2021
4 min.
Dr. Cassy Friedrich, Gender
Affirming Care, from FY21 Impact
Report
1 min.
HSS Kim, Coliseum HC, re. abortion
patients, from FY21 Impact Report
1 min.
Maureen, young former birth control
patient, NV, from FY21 Impact Report
1 min.
Bernadine, former abortion patient,
Santa Cruz, from FY21 Impact Report
1 min.
Fresno Clinician Dr. Danielle
Harik, discussing how her family
medicine patients have benetted
from telehealth (sent to California
legislators in April, 2021)
1:30 min./sec.
PPMM videos on a screen near you!
From discussing the design of PPMM’s pioneering gamied
mobile sex ed platform to organizing engaging workshops
that featured speakers with a deeply diverse range of
perspectives and experience, the PPMM Education team
brought their A game to the Planned Parenthood Education
“Drawing Water from a Deeper Well” (DWDW) national
conference.
Usually, a different PP afliate hosts the conference each year,
and staff from Planned Parenthood Education departments
travel to that city for a week to connect and attend workshops
about the exciting work we’re doing. Because of the
pandemic, this year’s conference was held virtually, which had
the advantage of making it much easier for more people to
participate.
The conference was the result of an incredible collaborative
effort between the DWDW Planning Committee, PPFA
Education, and the board of the Association of Planned
Parenthood Leaders in Education (APPLE). That included
PPMM Education’s own Director of Partnerships Mario A.
(he, him, his) who co-led the Workshop Committee. Each of
the 19 workshops was presented with English and Spanish
translations in close-captioning. Mario was especially proud
that three workshops were presented entirely in Spanish – for
the rst time in the history of the DWDW conference.
“My role was to build a workshop line-up that could connect
to a national audience of education staff, virtually,” Mario
said. “I wanted to use this opportunity to inuence and create
a space where we welcomed a wide variety of speakers with
different backgrounds, titles, experience, and years with PP to
make presentations on a national stage to an audience that
was just as diverse.”
One of these amazing workshops was led by two other
members of PPMM Education, Digital Learning Designer
Mariah C. (she, her, ella) and Digital Learning Manager Violeta
G. (she, her, ella). They had almost 60 PP educators from all
over the country attend their virtual presentation!
Mariah and Violeta shared their community-centered
approach to designing engaging and interactive digital
learning products through inclusive design practices. Among
the strategies is the launch of Y-LED, a group of youth
learning designers, ages 16 to 25, who applied to participate
from across the afliate’s territory. They volunteered their
time to co-design sex ed that is accessible and relevant to our
learners and their peers.
The session also went over approaches to effectively engage
the Spanish-speaking community, including youth, in the
design process of PPMM’s newest pilot, ¡Con Conanza!
(English translation: “With Trust and Condence.”) ¡Con
Conanza! Is the rst-ever gamied mobile sex ed platform
developed with and for Spanish-speaking youth. The nal
game will have 10 levels, each exploring, through culturally
relevant stories and challenges, sex ed topics such as how to
access sexual health services, sexual consent, and birth control.
“We wanted to encourage folks to think about digital sex education differently,”
Mariah said. “Participants shared great questions and insights and seemed to
love ¡Con Conanza! as much as we do! It sparked a lot of excitement and hope
for the future of sex education in Latinx communities."
PPMM Education played such a memorable role in helping to make the DWDW
virtual conference a success. Mario said his favorite memory from the event was
watching one particular workshop that he helped to set up.
“The moment I’m most proud of was sitting in one of the three workshops
presented in Spanish and listening to a promotora, who could’ve easily been
my tia or grandmother, speak in her own language to a national audience about
her experience,” he said. “She spoke with no fear of judgment and with the
condence of speaking to her community.
“It was right there that I knew we had done our part to create a special experience.
My heart was bursting full of emotion and pride listening to her speak. I knew my
mom would be proud.”
FROM THE EDUCATION DESK
PPMM partnership with FreeWill helps create
important legacy gifts
A message from our Development Department
August is National Make-a-Will Month, a perfect moment to plan for
your future – and create a legacy that upholds your values.
Did you know that nearly 70% of American adults don’t have a will?
It can seem unsettling or complicated to create one, but it’s the
best way to protect what matters most to you and secure your
vision for the future.
At Planned Parenthood Mar Monte, legacy gifts help ensure that
we’re there when patients need us – today, tomorrow, and for
generations to come.
As you know, we’re facing the most chilling threats to sexual and
reproductive health in decades. We have a long ght ahead – one
that will last beyond our lifetimes – and we need all hands on deck.
Here are 3 ways you can leave a legacy that fights back:
1. Include Planned Parenthood Mar Monte in your will or trust in
as little as one sentence:*
I give, devise and bequeath to
Planned Parenthood Mar
Monte Tax ID #94-1583439
, now or formerly located at
1691 The Alameda, San Jose, CA 95126, or its successor
thereto, [insert dollar amount, percentage, or description of
property] for the benet of its general purposes.
2. Take advantage of our partnership with FreeWill and make your
will online, for free, in 20 minutes or less at ppmarmonte.org/
legacy.
3. Contact us about other ways to give, including through
your retirement accounts, life insurance plans, IRA qualied
charitable distributions, or gift annuities.
For more information, or if you’d like to discuss your legacy giving
plans with a Planned Parenthood Mar Monte representative, please
visit ppmarmonte.org or contact us directly at
legacy@ppmarmonte.org or 916-325-1705.
The Big Picture
Here are a couple of things that our Public Affairs team wants
you to know if you haven’t yet sent in your ballot for the
California recall election about whether or not to immediately
remove the Governor from ofce:
1) October 10, 2021 marks 110 years since California women won
the right to vote – nine years before the 19th Amendment secured
voting rights for women throughout the country. Let that be your
inspiration to vote now and send in your ballot for the recall election by
the Sept. 14 deadline!
2) As a 501(c)(3) non-prot organization, Planned Parenthood Mar Monte has no position on the
outcome of the election, but wants to make sure that everyone who is eligible to vote has a
chance to participate and make their voice heard. Our Public Affairs team has been letting
people know how the recall election works.
Today and every day through September 14, California voters have an opportunity to honor those
who worked so hard to secure voting rights for most people. Check you voter status or register
online through August 30 at voterstatus.sos.ca.gov
California is leading the country to make it easier than ever to vote by mailing ballots to every
registered voter. You can vote by mail, at a ballot drop box, or in-person. You can track your
ballot and receive texts for when it is mailed, received and counted by registering at california.
ballottrax.net/voter.
About the Recall Election: There has been only one successful recall of a Governor in California
history. That was in 2003 when voters recalled Democratic Gov. Gray Davis and replaced him with
Republican Gov. Arnold Schwarzenegger.
This 2021 recall effort was launched by a group of people with various goals outlined in their
petition including the current Governor’s support for undocumented immigrants, his moratorium
on the death penalty, water rationing, California taxes, and the Governor’s response to the
COVID-19 pandemic -- specically the shelter-in-place orders and closure of schools and
businesses.
There are only two questions on the ballot:
Q1: Asks if Gavin Newsom should be recalled from ofce.
• A YES vote is to remove Newsom from ofce.
• A NO vote is for Newsom to stay in ofce.
Q2: Asks voters to select one candidate to succeed Gov. Newsom if he is recalled. Select from a
list of 46 candidates or leave blank.
If 50%+ vote NO, the Governor continues until the 2022 Primary/General election.
If 50%+ voters vote YES, the Governor is removed from ofce and the candidate who receives the
most votes in Question 2 will serve as Governor until a new Governor is elected in the November
2022 General Election.
If you have further questions about the recall, you can get more information from the Planned
Parenthood Advocates Mar Monte website at ppamm.org.
PPMM Public Affairs explains the
Sept. 14 California Recall Election
Voting now is also a great way to celebrate 110
years of women’s right to vote in the Golden State!
Our entire staff jumped in to make
Gender Afrming Care a core service
The expansion of PPMM’s Gender Afrming Care
(GAC) program throughout the afliate has been truly
emblematic our our mission and values. As GAC Program
Director Dr. Cassy Friedrich put it, “I can’t think of anyone,
any department that wasn’t involved in making this
happen. It’s been amazing.”
For example, since the beginning of spring, our team
of trainers that works with clinicians and health services
specialists has tirelessly trained staff in all of our health
centers on aspects of GAC, including demonstrating for
HSS staff how to show patients the correct way to give
themselves hormone injections.
Meanwhile, staff in all of our health centers as well as
those in the Response Center, the Regional Reproductive
Health Coordinator team, template specialists, PPMM
Education, the Creative team, and others also played a
role in bringing our patients the gender afrming care
they deserve – care that often isn’t available in the health
care system.
Every staff member is also taking PPMM’s gender
afrming care online training so that whether they are in health centers, in medical
billing, helping patients make appointments, working with board members, or
educating supporters and volunteers, each of us understands what gender afrming
care is, how to talk about it, and why it’s important.
“I have patients with (GAC appointments) who are from places like Modesto, and it’s
great to be able to tell them that all our health centers are now providing this care,” Dr.
Friedrich added. “Just recently, I had a patient from Bakerseld, and they were very
excited that they would no longer have to drive to Fresno or L.A. to get this care. They
can get it right where they live!”
This is the kind of patient care that makes PPMM a leader in establishing health care
equity throughout the communities we serve.
Two health services specialists at the
Sacramento health center practice
showing GAC patients how to self-inject
gender afrming hormone therapy (GAHT)
In this space, we spotlight health center staff members who have been mentioned
by name in patient surveys for delivering a fantastic patient experience.
MMCC clinician listens for patients’ “complete story”
Here is what one person wrote in a recent patient survey
about Clinician Christine S. at our Mar Monte Community
Clinic (MMCC):
“My care provider, Christine S., thoroughly addressed
my questions and concerns. She demonstrated genuine
thoughtfulness, consideration and care when discussing
my treatment options. I really appreciate her kindness and
consideration.”
Being Memorable
For Clinician Christine S. at the Mar Monte Community Clinic in Silicon Valley, it is important to
understand the big picture when patients come in for an appointment.
"My approach to patient care is to listen to each patient attentively and try to understand how I
can approach their care holistically," she said. "It is important to me to make a connection with
them and hear what's happening in their life, the complete story, so that I know how best to
care for them."
Christine said it's not unusual for a patient to come in for a specic service, such as birth control,
and to also discuss other health concerns.
"If someone, for example, mentions they also have stomach pain or they're experiencing a lot of
stress about something else in their lives, I always make sure they know what other services we
provide, what next steps they can take, and guide them to other resources that may be helpful.
When patients see that you're really listening, that's when they feel most comfortable in telling
you what's going on and what they need."
Clinician Christine S.
These are stories about how our amazing staff is
caring for the community during the COVID-19
pandemic. You can read more on the PPMM
blog at ppmarmonte.org/blog.
Guiding patients through the health care system
during COVID
As a member of PPMM’s Regional Reproductive Health Coordinator
team, Bianca O. is accustomed to navigating the health care system for
overwhelmed patients who have just received a life-changing diagnosis,
whether it’s an ectopic pregnancy or invasive cancer.
She helps people nd hospital treatment they need, makes appointments
with specialists in the community, and she connects uninsured and under-
insured patients with public programs to cover their treatment costs. That
has never been more important than during the days of COVID.
Recently, Bianca helped a woman who had breast screening at a PPMM
health center and was then referred out for diagnostic testing, including a
biopsy, which revealed breast cancer.
“This patient had lost her job due to the pandemic and was scraping by
on her savings,” Bianca said. “She relied on me to set up treatments and
consults for her (at an excellent nearby hospital), and I helped her get on a
program that would cover most of her costs.”
The patient speaks Spanish only, and Bianca, who is bi-lingual, was able to
be her point person for every stage of her breast cancer treatment process.
“The health care system is so confusing for anyone to get through, and doing
it during times like these is even more stressful,” Bianca said. “I’m just really
glad I could be there for her, that I could call her and say, ‘There’s a program
that can help you, and I’ll help you enroll right now. You will be covered.’”
Bianca O.
Digital Learning Designer
Mariah C.
PPMM Dir. of Partnerships
Mario A.
Digital Learning Manager
Violeta G.
“Drawing Water from a Deeper Well” 2021
PPMM Education team shines at PP’s virtual national conference
Love Notes
Appreciation for PPMM staff from donors and supporters
As PFLAG (Parents, Families, and
Friends of Lesbians and Gays)
people we stand with all the care
you give to "our" kids, trans and
others, and are glad you are here.
– Donors from Fresno
Thank you for the important work
you do. This seems like an awful
time where we seem to be sliding
backwards, but I believe women
are making signicant progress
toward equal rights and control
over their own bodies. You are a
huge help with that.
– Donor from Alta/Placer County
This past year was a challenging
one and we recognize that
you had to shift the way you
work to serve our communities
with compassionate and non-
judgmental health care.
– Donor from Emeryville/Alameda
County
Good Reads
August 10, Vida en el Valle, Fresno
CA telehealth funding bill was long overdue (op-ed by PPMM Fresno Public Affairs Dir. Socorro Santillan)
August 19,
Jezebel
Another abortion-access crisis looms in Texas
August 25,
Washington Post
The Mississippi clinic at the center of the ght to end abortion in America
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