Dear KBFPC Community,

As I write this, I am at the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association’s Fall Meeting surrounded by peers from across the country - each of whom are committed to making reproductive health accessible for all. While I am here, most of our youth program team is also at a conference - the annual Alaska Afterschool Network event. Conferences, big or small, offer opportunities to listen and learn, which I love, but also to collaborate and strategize, which takes learning to the next stage - action.

This newsletter is full of ways for you to actively connect with your personal health, KBFPC, and the broader community. Even while we wait to hear confirmation about who will represent Alaska in Congress and impact the national conversation about reproductive health and many other issues that significantly impact the lives of the clinic clients and teens we serve, there is important work to be done locally. Be an active participant in your health. Express yourself. Stay informed.

Best,
Claudia Haines, CEO
claudia@kbfpc.org

KBFPC is Coming to Kenai.

Along with services in our Homer clinic and telehealth options available for anyone in the region, KBFPC will offer in-person care in Kenai twice a month on Fridays, beginning this week! This is part of a six month pilot project to test how we can collaborate with regional partners to increase access to low and no cost annual wellness visits, birth control, STI testing and treatment, gender-affirming care, PrEP/PEP for HIV prevention, and more.

Sonja Martin Young, APRN/CNM, and Angie Holland, RN, are thrilled to provide in-person care to to more of our neighbors on the Kenai Peninsula; adults and teens of all genders, backgrounds, and income levels. Private insurance & Medicaid are accepted, and our sliding fee scale program applies for clients who qualify.

Learn More

Tonight, Tuesday 11/15, the City of Homer Library Advisory Board (LAB) at 5:30pm will hear from community members about a requested book ban that aims to remove more than 40 children’s books from a public institution that, according to the petitioner, are reportedly “promoting transgender ideology, drag queens, homosexuality, and all other books which are intended to indoctrinate children in LGBTQ+ ideologies.”

What do children’s books have to do with KBFPC? The ban attempts to narrowly define how each of us and our families should read, yes, but also live and love. Inclusion and diversity throughout our community reduce stigmas and encourage individuals to get the services and care they need and want, including healthcare. Participate in the discussion and share your opinions with the LAB through public testimony tonight in-person or virtually or via email.

Everyone Needs Accurate Information.

Eeek. Almost 7 in 10 survey respondents incorrectly believe emergency contraception (EC) can end a pregnancy in its early stages. PSA: EC does not end a pregnancy! Get evidence-based reproductive health info from KBFPC staff (in-person or via telemedicine), on the KBFPC website, or at Bedsider.org. Celebrate #ThxBirthControl day on November 16th.

(Source: 2022 Power to Decide survey)

Multicolor slide with black outlines of bodies in motion: "Call for Art! Unto Ourselves: Radical Autonomy.

Your Body, Your Art.

Artist submissions are open for 'Unto Ourselves: Radical Autonomy' - a March 2023 community exhibit presented by Homer Council on the Arts and KBFPC.

Join us to explore and celebrate our individual physicality and our shared humanity by creating original artworks in any form exploring the theme of bodily autonomy. A portion of sales will go to support KBFPC and REC Room programs providing accessible, inclusive sexual & reproductive health care & education on the Kenai Peninsula. Learn more about the show and to submit your works of art here.

KBFPC's new at-home blood pressure monitors to be loaned to clients.

Got Hypertension?

Almost half of U.S. adults have hypertension, or high blood pressure. Hypertension is a major contributing risk factor for other serious illness, and is one of the leading - and most preventable - contributors to poor maternal health outcomes during and after pregnancy.

Thanks to RHNTC and First National Bank Alaska’s support of our new Hypertension Prevention and Control Initiative, KBFPC is supporting clients with high blood pressure beyond the clinic appointment. You can now check out tools for easy self-monitoring and managing your blood pressure at home, between clinic visits.

Contact KBFPC to schedule an annual wellness visit (in Homer or Kenai!) to see if this might be a good fit for you.

Every Voice Matters.

Share your thoughts on the health of our community! MAPP of the Southern Kenai Peninsula, in partnership with South Peninsula Hospital, is gathering community input via the Perceptions of Health Survey now through 12/31/22. The survey takes approximately ten minutes to complete. Responses will help direct community health improvement initiatives in the coming years. Every respondent is entered for a chance to win gift cards from local businesses – for everything from gas to groceries. Thank you for your input!

Survey Link