| | October Happenings At AccessMatters! |
| The Monthly Recap October is Breast Cancer Awareness Month, and AccessMatters is committed to promoting education and increasing awareness of services. Early detection of breast cancer can save lives – when breast cancer is caught early, the five-year relative survival rate is 99%. |
| | | | | | | Take Action to Protect Funding - The U.S. House of Representatives’ Appropriations Committee Passes House Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education FY26 Appropriations Bill In September, the House Labor, Health & Human Services, and Education Appropriations bill passed by the House Appropriations Committee, advancing a proposal to eliminate the Title X Family Planning Program, as well as the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program which supports AccessMatters’ Adolescent Health Initiative. The bill will now be considered by the full U.S. House of Representatives. AccessMatters joins other organizations including the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) urging Congress to oppose the bill and any cuts to these critical public health programs. Contact your U.S. Representative today using AccessMatters’ call to action – take action here. |
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| | Office of Population Affairs Experiences Reductions in Force The Office of Population Affairs (OPA) in the U.S Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) underwent significant reductions in force, impacting nearly all staff. OPA is the office that administers the Title X Family Planning program and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program, among other public health programs. |
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| | Program Updates, Trainings, & Events |
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| AccessMatters Launches PA-BCCEDP Campaign to Promote Services In October, AccessMatters launched an awareness campaign with outreach materials and digital content to increase community knowledge about the low or no-cost services available through the Pennsylvania Breast and Cervical Cancer Early Detection Program (PA-BCCEDP). PA-BCCEDP services include clinical breast exams, pap smears, HPV tests, and follow-up exams. Eligibility for PA-BCCEDP services is based on income, insurance status, age, and residency in Pennsylvania. To find out if you are eligible and to connect with a healthcare provider near you, call AccessMatters’ Information Hotline at 215-985-3300 or text 833-667-3377. You can help spread the word, too! If you would like materials to distribute or digital images for waiting room screens or social media, please contact communications@accessmatters.org. |
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| | AccessMatters’ Adolescent Health Initiative Launches Impact Report In early October, AccessMatters’ Adolescent Health Initiative released its’ inaugural impact report, reviewing the project’s achievements in their second year of work. The Adolescent Health Initiative, launched in 2023, works to provide youth in Philadelphia with educational and health resources while working towards increased access to adolescent care. The report highlights success in partnerships, curriculum development, and trainings. Through this work, AccessMatters reached over 900 youth and 85 parents in the second year of the Adolescent Health Initiative. Read the full report here. |
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| | Let’s Talk Month October is “Let’s Talk Month,” a month dedicated to encouraging open conversation between adolescents and trusted adults in their lives. Creating safe, shame-free spaces for adolescents to ask questions and engage in conversations about their sexual and reproductive health is an important way to prepare youth for a healthy future. Visit Fact Forward’s Let’s Talk Month toolkit for more information, conversation prompts, and resources. |
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| | AccessMatters Hosts Sexual Health Educator Forum On September 26, AccessMatters convened a Sexual Health Educator Forum. A group of professionals representing eight local organizations had the opportunity to address challenges, share best practices while discussing how to continue the critical work of sexual health education in this moment. |
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| | AccessMatters Hosts Training on Sexual Health On October 29, AccessMatters’ Adolescent Health Initiative hosted a virtual training called “Talking With Your Teens About Sexual Health.” In this training, participants learned how to have open, age-appropriate conversations about sexual health and healthy relationships with adolescents. For more information about upcoming trainings email training@accessmatters.org, or go to AccessMatters' website to learn more. |
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| | AccessMatters to Host Training on Youth Mental Health First Aid On Tuesday, November 11, AccessMatters will offer "Youth Mental health First Aid," a workshop to teach participants about adolescent mental health. Participants will learn how to identify warning signs and risk factors for adolescents, as well as receive information on how depression, anxiety, trauma, psychosis, and substance use impacts adolescents. Register for this event here. |
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| AccessMatters’ Staff Attends Birth Justice Philly Summit Earlier this month, AccessMatters’ staff attended Birth Justice Philly’s second annual summit. Hosted by the Philadelphia Department of Public Health Division of Maternal, Child, and Family Health, the summit’s theme was “Improving Perinatal Outcomes Through Education, Access, and Autonomy Across the Life Course.” |
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| | AccessMatters Presents at New Voices for Reproductive Justice Virtual Advocacy Day In late October, AccessMatters presented during a policy roundtable hosted by New Voices for Reproductive Justice. During this event, nonprofit and grassroots organizations from across Pennsylvania shared policy priorities and advocacy goals for issues related to reproductive and sexual justice. |
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| | | AccessMatters’ Staff Presents at the National Reproductive Health Conference AccessMatters presented three sessions at the 2025 National Sexual Health Conference Moving forward: Innovating and Advancing Sexual Health through Collective Action held October 6th-October 8th. Sasha Faust facilitated No Shame or Blame in Sex Ed: Disrupting Sexual Health Stigma, a round table discussion in which she interrogated the impact of shame and stigma in sexual education and provided examples of ways to lead discussions around sexual and reproductive health using value neutral language. César Mantilla and Brooke Di Leone led Destigmatizing Data Collection, a roundtable discussion on the impact of data collection on quality of care. In this session, they introduced participants to best practices and protocol for inclusive data collection. Amina Kante and India Blunt highlighted the Adolescent Health Initiative’s success in implementing project-based learning with the Youth Advisory Board in Centering Youth Voices: Using and Ecological Framework to Shape Equitable Sexual and Reproductive Health Practices. In this presentation, they illustrated strategies for building ethical youth partnership to drive multi-level system change. AccessMatters can deliver these sessions as a customized training program for your organization. Reach out to Training@accessmatters.org to inquire. |
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| | AccessMatters’ Staff Attends Black Maternal Health Caucus Second Anniversary Celebration On October 27, AccessMatters’ staff traveled to Harrisburg to attend the Black Maternal Health Caucus 2nd Anniversary Celebration and participate in visits with elected officials to discuss Momnibus legislation, including policy to expand access to midwifery and doula services in Pennsylvania. Capping off the day at the celebratory event, AccessMatters’ President & CEO, Ayana Bradshaw congratulated State Representatives La’Tasha D. Mayes, Gina H. Curry, and Morgan Cephas for their tremendous work creating and leading the Black Maternal Health Caucus in Pennsylvania. |
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| | In October, AccessMatters’ Community Outreach & Information Services team has stayed busy by attending a variety of community events! October Events -
"iPledge" hosted by Women Against Abuse -
Community Baby Shower organized by State Senator Carolyn Comitta, the Maternal and Child Health Consortium, and the Maternity Care Coalition in Oxford, PA on October 24th -
Sexual Health & Prevention Workshop for Seniors with Salvation Army in Chester, PA on October 20th -
"Breast Cancer Awareness Event" hosted by Delaware County Health Department -
"Second Annual Working Families Justice-Impacted Community Resource Fair" hosted by Councilmember O'Rourke's Office |
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The Keystone covered maternal health deserts and barriers to reproductive care in Pennsylvania. Read the article here. -
The Commonwealth Fund wrote about the importance of the Title X Family Planning program in improving access to contraceptives across the United States. Read their blog post here. -
CBS News covered the recent threats to the Title X Family Planning program, including the reductions in force impacting the Office of Population Affairs. Read the article here. |
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| | AccessMatters
1700 Market Street, Suite 1540 | Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19103
215-985-2600 | info@accessmatters.org |
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