Christine Charbonneau, CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Great Northwest and the Hawaiian Islands, says that the organization has served Alaska for 50 years and presently has health centers in Anchorage, Fairbanks, Juneau, and Soldotna. In 2016 alone Planned Parenthood had over 51,000 supporters and served over 7,600 Alaskans through more than 10,000 health care visits. Services include head-to-toe physicals for boys and girls, well-woman, and well-man exams. Additional services include, but are not limited to, all FDA-approved birth control methods, abortion, and tests for all sexually transmitted infections that can be tested. As Ms. Charbonneau states, they “Cure the ones that are curable and advise people on how to deal with the ones that are not curable—herpes, human papillomavirus, HIV, etcetera.”
Planned Parenthood was founded one hundred years ago to serve women and men with high quality reproductive healthcare. Latinx constitutes an important segment of the population served by Planned Parenthood nationwide. In Alaska approximately six percent (or over 430 Latinx) get care from Planned Parenthood every year. Nationally, the organization sees more than half a million Latinx each year. In addition to the health centers, Planned Parenthood established the Planned Parenthood Action Fund that supports community programs such as “Raíz.” In the border regions, Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Texas, Raíz partners with communities to fight for reproductive healthcare, sex education, and access to care. The organization does this through by working on voter registration, Medicaid expansion, immigration reform, and comprehensive sex education reform. Planned Parenthood is committed to providing healthcare for everyone. According to Ms. Charbonneau, “It means that no matter the price, after we’ve tried everything, signed you up for every program we can, if you still don’t have the money, we’ll still see you.” Visits can cost as little as zero to just under $50, depending on the case. She went on to say that in the current political climate, people are fearful. But it is important that they know that they can go to Planned Parenthood to get care no matter what. Ms. Charbonneau says, “We consider it our responsibility to take care of your health.” –––––––––––––––––––––––––––– For more information: www.plannedparenthood.org To find a health center near you or more information 1-800-230-PLAN |
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