The Trenton Times published the following article on

Mercer area Planned Parenthood marks 80 years

By Alyssa Mease/The Times of Trenton 
on February 25, 2013 at 8:00 AM, updated February 25, 2013 at 8:06 AM

TRENTON — The nation was in the grips of the Great Depression when the Maternal Health Center opened its doors on South Clinton Avenue in 1933.

That office would eventually evolve into the Planned Parenthood Association of the Mercer Area, now headquartered on East State Street.

Celebrating its 80th anniversary this year, the organization has expanded into a major provider of reproductive health-care services.

“Over these 80 years, we have grown in terms of staff, donors, and, most importantly, the number of people we have served,” president and CEO Debby D’Arcangelo said at a recent gathering of supporters to mark the milestone. “But with this growth, one thing has never changed: our commitment to providing high-quality reproductive health-care to the women, men and teens of Mercer County.”

Last year the organization served more than 12,000 people in Mercer County through family planning services and educational outreach,

“Just to see the increase in variety and methods available is really fantastic,” said Jennifer Miller, vice president of community services for the Mercer chapter of Planned Parenthood. “The greater the variety of technology available, the greater the chance of a woman to find the birth control that works for her and her family,” Miller said.

Nationally, Planned Parenthood has fought for government funding and women’s access to birth control and other family planning services since 1916. Laws regarding abortion rights and family planning services vary by state, but New Jersey’s laws are lenient, Miller said.

“Not only do we not have a lot of restrictions in New Jersey, but we have some wonderful proactive legislation that promotes health care,” she said.

For example, girls under the age of 18 who want an abortion in New Jersey do not have to notify a parent or wait a certain amount of time before the procedure, unlike in some states where parental involvement and a waiting period of between 24 and 72 hours is mandated, Miller said.

Planned Parenthood Federation of America is a largely privately funded network of 74 independent affiliates that operate across the country under the Planned Parenthood name.

In 1959, the Maternal Health center officially became Planned Parenthood and moved to Academy Avenue. The organization moved again in 1975 to its current location on East State Street. Today, there are also offices in Hamilton and on The College of New Jersey campus.

About 8,000 of the people served by Planned Parenthood in Mercer County in 2012 were patients, or people who visited an office and received family planning services. About 4,000 people were reached through the community education services. Staff members routinely talk to high school students and other community-based groups about Planned Parenthood’s services, D’Arcangelo said.

“We have such a great partnership with the community. The commitment is there, and I think that speaks to their recognition of how important our services are,” Miller said.

The community was also instrumental in reinstating services that were cut when the organization lost some vital state funding in 2010. The family planning allotment in New Jersey’s state budget was cut entirely, which meant a $7.5 million loss to organizations in the state like Planned Parenthood.

Through private donations in their One More Day campaign, Planned Parenthood’s Trenton office was able to open an additional day each week last year, Miller said. The office was forced to cut back to about three days per week after the budget cuts that took effect in 2011. The organization is still working to get back to the level of service it offered before the cuts, she said.

About 40 percent of Planned Parenthood’s revenue comes from private donations, 40 percent comes from patient fees and insurance reimbursement and 10 percent comes from government grants each year, D’Arcangelo said. The remaining 10 percent comes from various other sources.

Patients don’t need health insurance to receive care at any Planned Parenthood site, but most insurances are accepted. The Trenton site offers Title X funding, a federal grant that provides access to contraception and family planning services to low-income patients, Miller said.

Some women who have insurance and the ability to see other doctors still choose to come to Planned Parenthood because they have had such a great experience, Miller said.

Services are administered by advanced nurse practitioners, who Miller said offer a more holistic treatment plan than traditional doctors. Everything is overseen by a medical director certified in obstetrics and gynecology.

The majority of the 40 staff members working at the three sites speak both English and Spanish. If a patient comes in and doesn’t speak either language, staff members can call a hotline to find a translator to communicate with the patient, Miller said.

“We’re providing health care to so many different people from all walks of life which I think is fantastic. One of the wonderful things about Planned Parenthood is that we serve anyone. We provide services to everyone who walks through our doors,” Miller said.

The Trenton site even offers vasectomies to men, Miller said.

Although Planned Parenthood has gone through a name change and several offices in its 80 years, its mission remains the same.

“Our work in 2013 is all about reproductive health and justice, just as it was in 1933. We’re still fighting the fight, but at least it’s a little different than it was,” D’Arcangelo said.

Contact Alyssa Mease at amease@njtimes.com or (609) 989-5673.