Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo

Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo promotes and protects sexual health, reproductive freedom and social justice through services, education and advocacy.

Why do we exist?

Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo works to prevent unintended pregnancy, improve reproductive health care, and ensure access to abortion. Half of all unintended pregnancies occur among the 10% of sexually active and fertile women who are not using contraception. Here in California, some of our communities have teen birth rates that are double the national rate, with 1 out of 10 teens having babies. In our region, 60,000 women aged 13 to 44 still have difficulty getting access to family planning services.

What have you accomplished?

Founded in 1962 in a living room by a small group of dedicated volunteers, we now serve over 110,000 clients at our 10 health centers in 5 of the 13 counties we serve across Northern California. Every day, our clients share with us their reasons for coming to a Planned Parenthood health center. Every reason is personal, private, and at times, highly emotional. And for every choice made by one of our clients, their story is unique. At Planned Parenthood: Shasta-Diablo, trained staff and volunteers listen to each story and provide the information and services necessary so that each person can make a responsible choice for their personal situation.

We work collaboratively with other health and social service agencies, schools, and faith communities to address the root causes of teen pregnancies.

In Northern California, Planned Parenthood was the first provider to broadly offer emergency contraception for the “morning after.” Now, we are pioneering a new service, called HOPE (Hormones with Optional Pelvic Exam), for delivering birth control pills and other hormonal contraceptives. By offering contraception with a full health assessment, but deferred pelvic exam, we are dramatically increasing the use of birth control by sexually active young people. We can now bring family planning services to individuals who may hesitate to go to a health center or feel uncomfortable with a pelvic exam.

Our public affairs program ensures that community leaders, public officials, and politicians understand the needs of our clients and the value of the services we provide. Through effective advocacy, we prevent additional restrictions on individual choice and increase funding of reproductive health services. For example, last year, we were able to get reimbursed for health service for men in California.

“Planned Parenthood is very important to me and many other women of all ages because not only is it a network of support, it is a network of education and solutions. Without programs like this, the State of California would not be the same place as it is now. Every woman should have someplace they can go regarding health reasons, especially if they are low income, students, etc. I am thankful for Planned Parenthood and the way it has helped me!”

	How do you help people in my community?		Why do you need my support?
	How can I be sure that you will use my money wisely and won't waste it?		Can I Volunteer? How?