will oversee Planned Parenthood Columbia Willamette, which operates clinics in Vancouver, Washington, the Portland metro area, Salem, Bend and Ontario. will oversee Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon, which has clinics in the Eugene-Springfield area, Grants Pass and Medford.
They鈥檙e taking over at a time when nearly half of U.S. states, , have passed laws restricting access to abortion and other reproductive health services after the U.S. Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade in June 2022.
鈥淭hink Out Loud鈥� host Dave Miller recently spoke to Kennedy and Handler about how Oregon鈥檚 Planned Parenthood network is responding. The following excerpts from that interview have been edited for length and clarity.
How they鈥檙e serving out-of-state patients post-Dobbs decision
Sara Kennedy: 鈥淪ince August of 2022, we鈥檝e seen a 1,200% increase in people from Idaho traveling across the state to get care with us鈥� We intentionally, within 12 months of Dobbs, opened up this health center in Ontario, Oregon, with the knowledge that we were going to have to be the caretakers of the state of Idaho.鈥�
Amy Handler: 鈥淎ctually, even before Dobbs鈥� it only took 10 days after passed for us to see our first patient from Texas in Medford鈥� That was a family 鈥� they showed up with three kids in the backseat and they were like, 鈥榊ou were the next available [appointment.] We鈥檙e here.鈥欌��
SK: 鈥淣o matter what, Oregon is here to take care of folks within Oregon, Southwest Washington, as well as beyond.鈥�
AH: 鈥淲e just need to be prepared 鈥� at least Oregon, more broadly 鈥� to see patients that are in extreme circumstances.鈥�
How they鈥檙e preparing for a Supreme Court ruling on abortion medication mifepristone
AH: 鈥淎ll of the attorneys general on the West Coast, from Washington, Oregon and California, have said they will protect us in all scenarios鈥� I think they鈥檙e looking at this as a highly unlikely scenario. And we鈥檝e prepared in terms of, we have mifepristone stockpiled in the state, and I think our attorneys general would be looking at any way to fight the case.鈥�
SK: 鈥淚 want people to know that no matter what 鈥� there鈥檚 so many scenarios of how this could all play out 鈥� Planned Parenthood in Oregon will always provide medication abortion, and it will always be legal, safe and effective here in the state of Oregon.鈥�
How they鈥檙e planning to expand across Oregon
AH: 鈥淲e鈥檙e definitely thinking about the coastal communities and how we can grow our telehealth program as a first touchpoint for folks before they come in for their first visit.鈥�
SK: 鈥淚 look at the state of Oregon and I just see so much opportunity. We only have this one, lone Eastern Oregon health center and we know that there鈥檚 a huge number of communities and rural folks who need our care鈥� It takes about a year or two for an organization to plan and make sure that we鈥檙e doing this thoughtfully. So we鈥檙e a good year or two out [from new clinics opening.]鈥�
PPCW CEO Sara Kennedy and PPSO CEO Amy Handler spoke to 鈥�鈥� host Dave Miller. Click play to listen to the full conversation:
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