PLANNED PARENTHOOD Federation of America, under attack by the Republican administration led by Donald Trump, will depend on a Chinese American physician as it fights for its life.
"For more than 100 years, no organization has done more for women's health than Planned Parenthood, and I'm truly honored to be named its president," said the organization's incoming president, Dr. Leana Wen.
As someone whose been on the frontlines of fighting for health care, first as an ER doctor and then a leader in public health, Wen fiercely believes health care is a right for all. And she knows what it’s like to be a Planned Parenthood patient: growing up in an immigrant family, Wen depended on Planned Parenthood for care.
"As a patient, I depended on Planned Parenthood for medical care at various times in my own life, and as a public health leader, I have seen firsthand the lifesaving work it does for our most vulnerable communities," she said today (Sept. 12) in a statement.
"As a doctor, I will ensure we continue to provide high-quality health care, including the full range of reproductive care, and will fight with everything I have to protect the access of millions of patients who rely on Planned Parenthood."
With the announcement of its new leader, it will be the first time in nearly 50 years that a physician will helm the health care organization, which has remained outspoken about what it calls an "attack on women's health and rights" by the Trump administration.
On Nov. 12, a week after the crucial midterm elections, she will take the helm of Planned Parenthood at a time when it is under constant attack from Republican conservatives and the White house, who are trying to cut off federal funding to the organization.
The bulk of federal funding that Planned Parenthood receives comes through reimbursements from Medicaid, which would not be affected by the new rule. It's the fraction that comes from Title X that is at stake. About 4 million people depend on Title X-funded health clinics for care every year, according to Planned Parenthood.
Wen currently serves as the Commissioner of Health for the City of Baltimore. A patient advocate and emergency physician, she has led the Baltimore City Health Department — the oldest, continuously-operated health department in the United States — since January 2015.
Wen has dedicated her career to expanding access to health care for the most vulnerable communities, reducing health disparities, and finding innovative solutions to address public health problems. Known as the “Doctor for the City” in Baltimore, she oversees more than 1,000 employees with an annual budget of $130 million; two clinics that provide more than 18,000 patients with reproductive health services; and medical programs for 180 Baltimore schools.
Over the last 18 months, Wen has fought to protect women and families in Baltimore from the Trump administration’s rollbacks of basic health care protections.
In March 2018, on behalf of Wen and the Baltimore City Health Department, the City of Baltimore sued the Trump administration for cutting funds for teen pregnancy prevention, which resulted in a federal judge ordering the restoration of $5 million in grant funding to two Baltimore-based teen pregnancy prevention programs. She has fought Trump administration changes to Title X — the nation’s family planning program — to protect funding for 23 health clinics in Baltimore providing reproductive health care for women with low-incomes.
"This ruling means that Baltimore City students will continue to receive evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention education delivered by teachers specially trained to teach these important curricula," Wen said in a written statement in April.
"This means that we will be able to continue our work in reducing teen birth rates, which fell 61% in Baltimore City from 2000 to 2016," she said.
As a practicing physician, Dr. Wen helped organized thousands of doctors and health professionals against Trump’s proposed domestic gag rule, saying it fundamentally alters the nature of the doctor-patient relationship and will dramatically reduce the quality of care for thousands of women.
Last month, Wen helped lead a lawsuit against the Trump administration for intentionally and unlawfully sabotaging the Affordable Care Act, jeopardizing health care for thousands of people in Baltimore.
Under her direction, the Baltimore City Health Department leads the country in health innovations and was recently recognized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials as the Local Health Department of the Year.
These innovations include:
Growing up, Dr. Wen, as well as her mother and younger sister, often relied on Planned Parenthood for health care. During medical school, she volunteered at a Planned Parenthood health center in St. Louis.
Wen graduated summa cum laude from California State University, Los Angeles at the age of 18, and earned her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine before becoming a Rhodes Scholar. She obtained her master’s degrees at the University of Oxford and completed her residency training at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School.
Planned Parenthood provides essential health care to more than 2.4 million women, men, and young people through more than 600 health centers across the country, and is the largest provider of sex education in the country, reaching 1.5 million people a year. With more than 12 million active supporters, Planned Parenthood works to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights nationwide.
_______________________________________________________________________________
On Nov. 12, a week after the crucial midterm elections, she will take the helm of Planned Parenthood at a time when it is under constant attack from Republican conservatives and the White house, who are trying to cut off federal funding to the organization.
The bulk of federal funding that Planned Parenthood receives comes through reimbursements from Medicaid, which would not be affected by the new rule. It's the fraction that comes from Title X that is at stake. About 4 million people depend on Title X-funded health clinics for care every year, according to Planned Parenthood.
Wen currently serves as the Commissioner of Health for the City of Baltimore. A patient advocate and emergency physician, she has led the Baltimore City Health Department — the oldest, continuously-operated health department in the United States — since January 2015.
Over the last 18 months, Wen has fought to protect women and families in Baltimore from the Trump administration’s rollbacks of basic health care protections.
In March 2018, on behalf of Wen and the Baltimore City Health Department, the City of Baltimore sued the Trump administration for cutting funds for teen pregnancy prevention, which resulted in a federal judge ordering the restoration of $5 million in grant funding to two Baltimore-based teen pregnancy prevention programs. She has fought Trump administration changes to Title X — the nation’s family planning program — to protect funding for 23 health clinics in Baltimore providing reproductive health care for women with low-incomes.
"This ruling means that Baltimore City students will continue to receive evidence-based teen pregnancy prevention education delivered by teachers specially trained to teach these important curricula," Wen said in a written statement in April.
"This means that we will be able to continue our work in reducing teen birth rates, which fell 61% in Baltimore City from 2000 to 2016," she said.
As a practicing physician, Dr. Wen helped organized thousands of doctors and health professionals against Trump’s proposed domestic gag rule, saying it fundamentally alters the nature of the doctor-patient relationship and will dramatically reduce the quality of care for thousands of women.
Last month, Wen helped lead a lawsuit against the Trump administration for intentionally and unlawfully sabotaging the Affordable Care Act, jeopardizing health care for thousands of people in Baltimore.
Under her direction, the Baltimore City Health Department leads the country in health innovations and was recently recognized by the National Association of County and City Health Officials as the Local Health Department of the Year.
These innovations include:
- Facing an unprecedented number of people dying from opioid overdose, Wen issued a blanket prescription for the opioid antidote, Naloxone, to all 620,000 residents of Baltimore. Since 2015, this program has saved more than 2,800 lives.
- Under Wen’s direction, Baltimore’s B’More for Healthy Babies program has resulted in a nearly 40 percent reduction of infant mortality in just seven years.
- She started Vision for Baltimore, which provides glasses free of charge to every child who needs them.
- Following the 2015 Baltimore protests, Wen started programs to deliver medications and improve food access to seniors. She expanded trauma and mental health services; secured funding for Safe Streets, a program designed to treat gun violence as a contagious disease; and led public health campaigns on vaccinations, childhood obesity, and racism as a public health issue.
Growing up, Dr. Wen, as well as her mother and younger sister, often relied on Planned Parenthood for health care. During medical school, she volunteered at a Planned Parenthood health center in St. Louis.
Wen graduated summa cum laude from California State University, Los Angeles at the age of 18, and earned her medical degree from Washington University School of Medicine before becoming a Rhodes Scholar. She obtained her master’s degrees at the University of Oxford and completed her residency training at Brigham & Women’s Hospital and Massachusetts General Hospital, where she was a Clinical Fellow at Harvard Medical School.
Planned Parenthood provides essential health care to more than 2.4 million women, men, and young people through more than 600 health centers across the country, and is the largest provider of sex education in the country, reaching 1.5 million people a year. With more than 12 million active supporters, Planned Parenthood works to advance sexual and reproductive health and rights nationwide.
_______________________________________________________________________________
No comments:
Post a Comment