Jodi Magee: PRCH Physician Advocates Are Everywhere! @ Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health

PRCH in Action, April 2012 From Jodi Magee, President and CEO

Dear Friends: The big news around the PRCH offices these days is the awesome achievements of the Leadership Training Academy Class of 2012. You may recall that in our December newsletter I wrote about our board chair Doug Laube, MD, MEd, and me welcoming 21 young physicians into this program. Each of these physicians is now about to complete our eight-month program in physician-advocacy. But even before completing their coursework, they have accomplished a lot. They have lobbied Congress, been published multiple times in the New York Times, Chicago Tribune, San Francisco Chronicle, USA Today, and many other papers across the country, and been interviewed by, and published on, blogs and news sites all over the web. Here are a few outstanding examples of their work regarding the recent uproar over insurance coverage and contraception: Leadership Training Academy Fellow Dana Schonberg, MD, published the lead letter in the New York Times on February 28, on religious employers and contraception. Here's how she expressed the feelings of most of us, not just doctors: "As a physician, I have seen far too many patients denied care because of religious refusals embedded in their insurance. As a patient, I want my doctors practicing medicine founded on the best scientific evidence, and I want our health care policies to follow suit." Read the full letter here. On February 6, the Charlotte Observer published an opinion piece by Leadership Training Academy Fellow Jennifer Tang, MD, in support of contraceptive coverage for all women, including employees of religiously affiliated institutions: "I am thrilled that the new insurance rules will bring relief to most women whose employers don't provide birth control coverage.... I look forward to the day when every employer understands that women need a full range of preventive health services, including birth control, to have healthy and productive lives." Read the full piece here. And in her letter to the New York Daily News, Leadership Training Academy Fellow Erin Hendriks, MD, pointed out that arguments against requiring religiously affiliated employers to provide insurance that covers contraception in full overlook the fact that many women use birth control for medical reasons: "The editorial about the President mandating contraception coverage by insurance plans neglected to consider the women it will affect.... I am tired of politicians and clerics with no medical education trying to influence decisions that should remain in the exam room." Read the full letter here. These bold young physicians are the next generation of visible, vocal, and effective spokespersons for reproductive health services throughout the country. I couldn't be more proud of them. To read more of our physicians' stories, visit our website. PRCH Partners to Honor Providers For this year's National Day of Appreciation for Abortion Providers on March 10, PRCH partnered with our friends at the Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice (RCRC) to recognize and honor the ways in which faith has inspired physicians, members of the clergy, activists, and countless others to help women in need of abortion care. PRCH board member Nancy Stanwood, MD, MPH, wrote a note of thanks to the many people of faith who support abortion providers, which RCRC distributed to its clergy nationwide, along with related prayers and other materials to use in services and bulletins on the weekend of March 9-11. RCRC gathered more than 450 signatures for a thank-you card to those who "work every day to make abortion, birth control, prenatal care, and so many other needed services available to women and their families." As one signer wrote: "Your service and sacrifices demonstrate the best part of humanity." I couldn't agree more. PRCH's Adolescent Health Education Project's Fourth Edition Now Available I'm also very happy to announce the completion of our fourth edition of the Adolescent Reproductive and Sexual Health Education Project (ARSHEP) curriculum. After all the brainstorming, collaboration, research and creativity that went into it, this ground-breaking adolescent-focused curriculum is now available for physicians, residents, students, and all youth-serving professionals seeking the most up-to-date information and best practices regarding adolescent health. And best of all, the complete curriculum is available for free, either as a download or a CD-ROM. The fourth edition features five new cutting-edge youth-related topics: adoption, new trends in adolescent sexuality, caring for pregnant and parenting adolescents, transgender teens, and issues with Chlamydia screening and treatment. The other 12 learning modules have been updated with the most recent data and best practices information available from the CDC and others. Our expert faculty of 46 adolescent medicine specialists collaborate with staff to create and update this comprehensive curriculum. We then rely on a select group of physicians to give free grand rounds, workshops, lectures and educational sessions to health professionals across a wide variety of specialties. To date, ARSHEP has trained more than 16,500 health care professionals across the country! ARSHEP's popularity with the doctors spurred us to develop an E-learning course available for pediatric medicine residents that includes five lessons: male adolescent reproductive and sexual health; sexually transmitted infections; contraception; options counseling and unintended pregnancy; and caring for lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and questioning youth. The in-depth course is designed specifically to address requirements for pediatric residents set by the Accreditation Council on Graduate Medical Education. If you're a doctor and want more information, contact Nafeeza Hussain, our education, research, and training associate, at nafeeza@prch.org. She'll be happy to help. Thank You! Lastly, a huge thanks to all of you who helped put pressure on the White House through your calls and letters to reject the attack on women's access to contraception. We couldn't do this work without you. So thank you for all you do to keep PRCH strong as we work to increase access to quality reproductive health care. Best wishes,                       Jodi Magee President and CEO