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PUBLIC TESTIMONY
Testimony by Dr. Jane Kaufman, Director of Clinical Education and Special Services at Planned Parenthood of Greater New York
5:13:04
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Dr. Jane Kaufman from Planned Parenthood of Greater New York testifies in support of additional funding for their organization, highlighting their crucial role in providing affordable cervical cancer screening and prevention services. She emphasizes the importance of accessible healthcare for low-income patients and its positive impact on overall community health and prosperity.
- Requests additional investment of $1,250,000 for Planned Parenthood of Greater New York
- Shares a patient story demonstrating the importance of affordable cervical cancer screening and treatment
- Explains how funding helps provide low-cost care for uninsured patients and supplements inadequate Medicaid reimbursements
Jane Kaufman
5:13:04
Hi, my name is Doctor.
5:13:06
Jane Kaufman and I am the director of clinical education and special services at Planned Parenthood of Greater New York and a provider.
5:13:14
I want to thank council members Schulman and Lee and all the other council members here today.
5:13:20
I also urge you to support the additional investments of 1,250,000.00 from each of these funds for Planned Parenthood of Greater New York.
5:13:30
I know that many of you are familiar with our abortion care, but I wanted to tell a little story to highlight one of our other services, cervical cancer screening and prevention.
5:13:41
So a patient we have seen this month at our centers had an abnormal pap smear a few years ago.
5:13:48
She did not follow-up because she was scared and was a student with no income and no health insurance.
5:13:55
She mustered up the courage to see us a few weeks ago, repeated the pap smear and the HPV test, and they were still abnormal.
5:14:02
The patient then returned to have a colposcopy procedure with us, and underwent some cervical biopsies to determine the extent and degree of the abnormal cells.
5:14:14
If these patients cervical biopsies show a high grade abnormality, we can do a leap procedure at one of our centers for this patient and remove the precancerous area on her cervix, which would prevent her from getting cervical cancer and likely save her life.
5:14:32
We can provide this care in a warm welcoming environment where our patient feels safe.
5:14:37
Best of all we can provide this care for our uninsured patient with a sliding scale fee schedule.
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This patient will pay nothing or very little for her care.
5:14:49
We need funding to provide low cost care for patients who need it most.
5:14:54
Even for patients with Medicaid, the majority of our patients at PPGNY, we are not reimbursed anywhere close to the amount it costs us to provide this care.
5:15:04
When low income patients get the care they need, they have fewer unintended pregnancies, lower maternal infant mortality rates, improved mental health, and better overall health outcomes.
5:15:16
This allows them to pursue educational and employment opportunities to better parent their children and become more involved in their communities.
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This improves not just their lives, but the lives of all New Yorkers and helps our city thrive.
5:15:30
An additional investment in PPGNY is one that has an immeasurable return.
5:15:37
Thank you.
5:15:38
Thank you.