Free HIV testing!

In honor of National HIV Testing Day, Planned Parenthood of Delaware will be hosting a FREE HIV testing event at each of our five sites. This event is held every year to bring community awareness to the problem of HIV infection in our community and to emphasize the importance of regular testing for sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates that as many as 280,000 people in the U.S. are HIV positive and do not know their status. Testing is particularly important because it allows individuals to make informed decisions about how to protect their health as well as their partner. So, please join us in fighting this disease by getting tested for FREE!

Wednesday, June 25, 2008

Dover  8:30 – 4:30
805 S Governor’s Ave., 678-5200

Newark  8:30 – 4:30
140 E Delaware Ave.
731-7801

Rehoboth  8:30 – 4:30
19 Midway Shopping Center
645-2737

Wilmington  11:30 – 7:30
625 Shipley St.
655-7293

Friday, June 27, 2008

Claymont  8:30 – 4:30
1009 Philadelphia Pike
798-8000

Here at PPDE...

Anti-Choice Extremists Increasingly Target Planned Parenthood

Imagine going to an appointment at a medical office only to find a line of people out front, yelling and carrying large ugly signs, who are telling you not to get the health care that you need.

Unfortunately, this is exactly what Planned Parenthood clients face on a regular basis. Over the past several months, there has been a dramatic increase in the presence of protesters at Planned Parenthood facilities throughout Delaware. Extreme anti-choice activists have targeted four of our clinics for pickets in the last 3 months alone. The protestors display graphic signs in an attempt to misinform our clients and verbally harass anyone entering the clinic. Picketers also distribute literature directing our clients to “crisis pregnancy centers,” where they may be subjected to medical misinformation, religious coercion, or false promises of assistance should they carry a pregnancy to term. Although some protests involve as many as 60 or 70 people, there are usually between 4 and 10 protestors, often including young children.

Planned Parenthood firmly supports an individual citizen’s right to free speech; however we do not accept the harassment of our clients as they try to access quality reproductive health services. We are seeking volunteers to escort clients at our Dover facility in an effort to help our clients feel more comfortable and ensure their safety. Escorting takes place every Thursday morning from about 8:30 – 10:30. If you are interested in volunteering at Planned Parenthood please contact our Community Affairs Coordinator at 302-655-7296 x 20, or online at http://www.ppdel.org/actio n/volunteer.html.

Celebrate Pride in June! Pride Month is a chance to honor the birth of the Lesbian, Gay, Bisexual and Transgender (LGBT) Liberation Movement and to educate people about LGBT issues.

Planned Parenthood of Delaware celebrates June as an opportunity to reaffirm our commitment to honoring the diversity of our community and the clients we serve.

Planned Parenthood is an LGBT-friendly environment, dedicated to providing high-quality and accessible reproductive healthcare for all. Delaware has a special reason to celebrate Pride this year, as LGBT couples in our state have recently gained the right to obtain Protection from Abuse (PFA) orders! This new legislation, which passed in 2007, gives same-sex partners better protection under the law. Planned Parenthood has been active in the passage and implementation of this legislation at the local level.

Why I Intern at Planned Parenthood - Erica Melman

After a year and a half at the University of Delaware, I finally declared my major. Choosing to graduate UD with a bachelors of science in Human Services was such a great decision for me because I was fortunate enough to have multiple internship opportunities throughout the duration of the program. Entering into my senior year, I knew I had a huge decision to make; I had to choose a placement site for my spring semester where I would be spending at least 400 hours doing my final human services internship. Completing four hundred hours in a three-month period was such an overwhelming and daunting thought; I knew I had to do ample research and pick an organization that not only met the requirements of my program, but also appealed to my interests so that I could feel confident and excited to go to work everyday.

When I came across Planned Parenthood of Delaware’s volunteer program, I knew I had found something that I wanted to be a part of. Planned Parenthood’s mission to ensure everyone has access to the appropriate information and services related to their reproductive health and safety was parallel to my views on issues regarding reproductive rights. I thought being a part of an organization that was dedicated to promoting positive attitudes and behaviors regarding choices made towards ones sexuality was an incredible opportunity. In the end, I was able to have my internship experience at Planned Parenthood of Delaware (PPDE), and I am happily serving my 400 hours with the staff at this location.

Through this internship I have gotten exposure to amazing opportunities and been able to work with the diverse set of clients who utilize Planned Parenthood’s services. I have been working under the supervision of Diana McWilliams, the Vice President of Public Affairs for PPDE. She has been an incredible mentor for me and helped me to learn not only a lot about the organization, but also about my abilities and myself within a professional environment. As my graduation nears, I am full of feelings of excitement about ending my collegiate career, but also sadness to be leaving PPDE. My time spent here has been invaluable and I feel as though it has prepared me to venture onto the next stage of my adult life, however nervous I may be. And, when I am settled into this new and exciting part of my life, I hope to find my way back to Planned Parenthood for further volunteer opportunities.

A very special thank you goes out to everyone at Planned Parenthood of Delaware who has taken the time to make my experience as incredible as it was!