PLANNED PARENTHOOD OF THE HEARTLAND INC

- PUBLIC AFFAIRS -PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF IN NEBRASKA ENGAGED VOLUNTEERS IN OVER 2,000 HOURS OF OUTREACH, ADVOCACY AND ENGAGEMENT ACTIVITIES AT HEALTH CENTERS, ON COLLEGE CAMPUSES, AND IN THE COMMUNITY. THIS WAS CONDUCTED THROUGH 482 UNIQUE VOLUNTEERS TAKING 1,145 VOLUNTEER SHIFTS. IN IOWA, PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF AND VOLUNTEERS EXECUTED AN EXTENSIVE OUTREACH PROGRAM TO INCREASE SUPPORT FOR SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH AND PARTICIPATION BEYOND CENTRAL AND EASTERN IOWA. THIS EFFORT INCLUDED USING MORE DIGITAL COMMUNICATIONS, ENGAGING NEW COLLEGE CAMPUSES, AND SHIFTING BACK TO IN-PERSON SUPPORTER ENGAGEMENT.(CONTINUED IN SCHEDULE O)IN NEBRASKA, IN SPRING FY23, WE HIRED AN ADDITIONAL ADVOCACY STRATEGIST TO FOCUS ENTIRELY ON THE MORE RURAL PORTIONS OF THE STATE. THE FOCUS OF THIS WORK IN BUILDING RELATIONSHIPS IN KEY COMMUNITIES, ENGAGING VOLUNTEERS, AND TRAINING COMMUNITIES ON CIVIC ENGAGEMENT. OUR GOAL IS TO SEE INCREASED SUPPORT FROM THESE AREAS THROUGH THIS ROLE. IOWA PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF EXPANDED LATINE OUTREACH EFFORTS VIA THE RAIZ PROGRAM. PROGRAMMATIC WORK INCLUDED COLLABORATION WITH LATINE-SPECIFIC ORGANIZATIONS, CREATING WELL-BEING WORKSHOPS WITH ALLIED PARTNERS, AND TABLING AT EVENTS WITH VOLUNTEERS LIKE LATINO FESTIVAL IN DES MOINES.IN FY23, NEBRASKA WE RECEIVED THEIR FIRST SMALL GRANT TO START THE RAZ PROGRAM IN. RAZ IS LATINE ORGANIZERS WORKING WITH THE LATINE COMMUNITY TO BUILD A WORLD WHERE EVERYONE CAN GET THE HEALTH CARE THEY DECIDE IS BEST FOR THEIR BODY IN THEIR OWN COMMUNITY. THEY ALSO WORKED TO REBUILD THE GEN ACTION PROGRAMS ON NEBRASKA CAMPUSES AFTER THEY STRUGGLED TO MAINTAIN DURING THE PANDEMIC. BOTH OF THESE PROGRAMS WERE IN THEIR NACENT STAGES IN FY23, BUILDING THE FOUNDATION NECESSARY TO MEASURABLY GROW THESE PROGRAMS IN FY24. IOWA PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF TRAINED TWELVE NEW PATIENT ADVOCATES AS STORYTELLERS AND CULTIVATED EXISTING STORYTELLERS THROUGH COMMUNITY CARE EVENTS. EMPOWERING YOUTH ACTIVISM VIA PPGEN STUDENT GROUPS ON FOUR ACTIVE CAMPUSES, WHICH DOUBLED FROM THE PREVIOUS YEAR. STAFF IN IOWA AND NEBRASKA CONTINUE TO ENGAGE PATIENT STORYTELLERS THROUGH THE HEALTH CENTER ADVOCACY PROGRAM, BOTH THROUGH HEALTH CENTER ADVOCACY TABLES IN SIX HEALTH CENTERS IN IOWA AND TWO IN NEBRASKA THAT ALLOW PATIENTS TO SIGN UP TO PARTICIPATE IN VARIOUS ADVOCACY AND EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING AND THROUGH THE ACTUAL SPEAKERS BUREAU PROGRAM. THE IOWA PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF REACHED OUT TO SUPPORTERS AND VOTERS ON NATIONAL VOTER REGISTRATION DAY AND IN THE LATINE COMMUNITY VIA THEIR RAIZ PROGRAM.IN NEBRASKA, PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF PROVIDED EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMMING TO OVER 100 COMMUNITY SUPPORTERS ON HOW TO TALK TO THEIR STATE REPRESENTATIVES AND OTHERS ABOUT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTHCARE. IN LINCOLN AND OMAHA, PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF CONTINUED TO TRAIN SUPPORTERS TO VOLUNTEER AS HEALTH CENTER PATIENT ESCORTS AT THEIR RESPECTIVE HEALTH CENTERS. STAFF IN IOWA AND NEBRASKA SPOKE REGULARLY WITH MEMEBERS OF THE PRESS/MEDIA ABOUT SEXUAL AND REPRODUCTIVE HEALTH SERVICES AND RIGHTS. NEBRASKA PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF GAVE PRESS INTERVIEWS ABOUT THE PROPOSED SIX WEEK ABORTION BAN AND ITS ULTIMATE DEFEAT AND THEN ADDITIONAL INTERVIEWS WERE DONE AROUND THE PASSAGE OF A TWELVE WEEK BAN THAT WAS TACKED ON TO AN ANTI-TRANS BILL AT THE LAST MOMENT. IOWA PUBLIC AFFAIRS STAFF GAVE PRESS INTERVIEWS WITH STATE AND NATIONAL JOURNALISTS TO SHARE INFORMATION ABOUT THE EVER-CHANGING STATE OF ABORTION ACCESS. INTEREST PIQUED AROUND THE IMPLEMENTATION OF A MEDICALLY UNNECESSARY 24-HOUR WAITING PERIOD AND THE POSSIBILITY OF A DEFENSIVE CONSTITUTIONAL AMENDMENT.