Planned Parenthood Los Angeles’ (PPLA) Black Health Initiative Leadership Team celebrated the grand opening of their Inglewood Health Center and Planned Parenthood Community Center on May 13.
The Inglewood Health Center is the flagship location of the Black Health Initiative (BHI), an agency-wide program designed to improve the overall well-being of African Americans by empowering communities to advocate for themselves toward better health outcomes.
“Planned Parenthood of Los Angeles’ Black Health Initiative offers an affirmative vision for what sexual and reproductive health care should look like, and that vision is particularly heartening and sorely needed at this moment when we risk losing freedom over our own bodies,” said Alexis McGill Johnson, president & CEO of Planned Parenthood Federation of America (PPFA).
“The Supreme Court is prepared to end the constitutional right to abortion by overturning Roe v. Wade, and Black people will disproportionately bear the devastating consequences. This is on top of centuries of systemic racism and barriers to accessing care. But with the example and leadership of the Black Health Initiative, we have a model for more agency and access that sets out to reduce inequities, and provides the necessary tools and resources for everyone to decide their own future.”
The Black Health Initiative is working to improve Black reproductive and maternal health by providing coaching to address chronic conditions before, during, and after pregnancy, acknowledging underlying social needs that impact health, and connecting patients to resources and programs needed to flourish.
“The work that Planned Parenthood Los Angeles is embarking on with its Black Health Initiative is more critical than ever,” said Natasha Rothwell, writer and actress from HBO’s “Insecure.”
“With the threats to reproductive health care, access to abortion, and Black maternal health care, the direct impact of this initiative on the Black community is key to helping overcome the critical challenges facing Black women today.”
The Inglewood Health Center reinforces PPLA’s commitment to providing the Black community with the resources needed to combat health inequities by offering prenatal care, doula services, behavioral health services, contraceptive counseling, birth control, and more.
For services not offered at the health center, patients are referred to additional care that is accessible, culturally specific, and supports overall health and well-being.
In partnership with Black Women for Wellness, California Black Women’s Health Project, Reclaiming America’s Communities Through Empowerment, and UCLA Law Institute on Reproductive Health, Law & Policy, the grand opening included public tours of the health center, elected officials, community based organizations, and PPLA and PPFA staff.
To learn more about the Black Health Initiative and the Inglewood Health Center, visit the location at 905 N. La Brea Ave. or call 800-576-5544.
