Health-care reform must include community health programs

To the Editor:

Addressing reproductive health care in national health-care reform is no small matter. Currently, who provides this care is still to be determined. Local community health centers, such as Planned Parenthood of Southeast Ohio, are where many women, men and teens obtain trusted health care -often the only preventive care they receive.   Community health centers are an essential part of our provider network, particularly during difficult economic times, to help women protect and support their families.

For example, one in four women who receives contraceptive care does so at a women's health center (WHC), and 98 percent of women use contraception at some point in their lives. One in six who obtains a Pap test or a pelvic exam does so at a WHC, as do one-third of women who receive counseling, testing or treatment for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

As Congress reforms health care, community health providers must be included in the network. Women's health must be a priority and reproductive health care must be covered.

Protecting local health centers is fundamental to solving provider access issues that are part of reform. Annually, Planned Parenthood health centers across the country perform nearly one million Pap Tests - identifying 93,000 women at risk of developing cervical cancer - and provide more than 850,000 breast exams.

Women cannot be worse off after health-care reform. If health-care system reforms are to be effective, women must have improved access to reproductive health care and community health providers.

Lisa G. Perks, CEO
Planned Parenthood of Southeast Ohio
East State Street
Athens