For the 32 percent of people in Coachella Valley who are unemployed and who may no longer have access to health insurance due to the coronavirus, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest leaders say the non-profit organization is committed to providing affordable sexual and reproductive health care services and a safe environment to those in need.

The Coachella Valley Economic Partnership released a report earlier this month forecasting the region’s unemployment rate is projected to be nearly 32% in May, more than four times the approximate 7.2% unemployment rate that existed before the coronavirus pandemic hit.

CVEP, an economic and business advocacy group that is focused on the Coachella Valley, released the figures in an economic impact report detailing the effects that the pandemic could have on the region’s workforce and economy. Many of those likely have no health insurance

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Darrah DiGiorgio Johnson, Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest CEO

Planned Parenthood, which provides confidential, affordable and high-quality medical services to the San Diego, Riverside and Imperial counties, has kept its doors open throughout the COVID-19 pandemic with a full range of safety measures in place, and we will continue to serve those in need of affordable birth control, STD testing and treatment, abortion, UTI testing and treatment, and other sexual and reproductive health care services. The majority of its patients receive health care at no-cost or low-cost to them through the state Family PACT program and Medi-Cal.

“We know that a lot of people have lost their job and health care insurance during the COVID-19 Pandemic,” Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest CEO Darrah DiGiorgio Johnson said in a prepared statement. “At Planned Parenthood we’re there for our patients regardless of their ability to pay. They will get the sexual and reproductive health care they need and deserve when they walk through our doors or speak with one of our clinicians in a telehealth appointment.”

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Dr. Antoinette (Toni) Marengo

“It is critical that all people have access to sexual and reproductive health care even during a pandemic,” Planned Parenthood of the Pacific Southwest Chief Medical Officer Antoinette Marengo, MD, said in a prepared statement. “That is why we implemented safety measures that align with CDC guidelines from the very beginning. We have never closed our doors and we make appointments available in days not weeks.”

Planned Parenthood has implemented a variety of safety measures in its health centers to reduce the risk of getting COVID-19.

Safety measures include:

  • Screening patients for symptoms of COVID-19 when they make an appointment and before entering our health centers
  • Regularly sanitizing our health centers and exam rooms between patients
  • Limiting social contact by reducing staff interactions with patients, asking patients to wait for their appointment in their car, and asking people not to bring friends or family to their appointment
  • Asking patients to wear face coverings and regularly wash their hands or use hand sanitizer in our health centers
    Offering telehealth for many of our services

Learn more about our safety measures by clicking here. 

Image Sources

  • Darrah DiGiorgio Johnson: Planned Parenthood
  • dr.-marengo: PPPSW