2020 Annual Report
The mural on our mobile clinic was designed by Mississippi artist Sam Mckain
Two years ago, Plan A Health was founded with the goal of increasing access to reproductive and sexual healthcare in rural communities. Starting a program is no easy task. But in Mississippi, we found a remarkable team of passionate community members, leaders, and advisors willing to dedicate their time to helping us build a program rooted in the priorities and needs of the community. We took a grassroots approach to building this clinic and our focus in our first year was on seeking feedback and guidance to build a clinic and program that will be an active partner of the community, not just an exam room on wheels.
From institutions to organizations to individuals - every conversation has made Plan A stronger. We expanded the program from its initial narrow focus on birth control to a more holistic approach, including sexual health, primary care screenings, and social services. We selected specific counties to concentrate our efforts to address the areas of highest need. We took the spark of an idea and turned it into a fully fledged plan.
We intended to open the mobile unit in our second year but 2020 was not a year for “as planned.” The state of Mississippi and the Delta region were hit particularly hard by the COVID-19 pandemic. Plan A, too, had to find our footing in this new world. We used the time to develop flexible operational plans, refine our strategies, and prepare for 2021.
Our conversations in 2019 helped us to define what the Plan A program and clinic should be. Our work in 2020 has made this plan a reality. We met our goals. We raised more than $500,000, designed and ordered a custom mobile unit, and expanded our team.
This program would not exist without the community members, collaborators, partners, advisors, and donors, who transformed this concept into a program with enormous potential to improve the health of people in underserved communities.
We are excited and grateful to celebrate these milestones and share with you the road forward.
The only doctor near me doesn’t do women’s health. I’d have to travel more than an hour to get to someone so I just put it off.
— Jatina, 35
Our Mission
Plan A mobile clinics bring health care directly to underserved communities, with an emphasis on improving sexual and reproductive health. We will serve all people, regardless of insurance status, income, or location, and ensure access to affordable, quality, and compassionate care.
All of our services are provided free of charge thanks to our donors.
Family Planning
Rates of unintended pregnancy are almost 20% higher in Mississippi than the national average and women living in rural communities are less likely to receive family planning services than those in urban communities. Plan A takes a patient-centered approachh to care, rooted in the principles of reproductive justice.
Plan A clinics offer: comprehensive contraception counseling and options, including long acting reversible contraception (LARCs).
Primary Care
More than 45% of adults aged 19-64 are uninsured or underinsured. Rates of diabetes and hypertension obesity in Mississippi are among the highest in the country. Consistent primary care is key to preventing serious illness, but many children and adults lack access to basic screening. Screening and monitoring are essential to identifying people with medical conditions and delivering them consistent primary care.
Plan A clinics offer: primary care screenings and referrals to local brick and mortar clinics for ongoing primary care.
Sexual Health
The state of Mississippi has the 3rd highest rate of sexually transmitted infections in the country and the highest rate of gonorrhea nationwide. Rates of new diagnoses of HIV are decreasing nationally, but have increasd in recent years in some counties in Mississippi. Young adults aged 20-29 account for more than 40% of new diagnoses in Mississippi.
Plan A clinics offer: STI testing and treatment, HIV testing, and PrEP (HIV prevention).
Telehealth Hotspot
Over the last year, telehealth has taken center stage as a way of delivering care to people unable to visit a doctor in a pandemic. Unfortunately, many people in rural areas lack access to the broadband required to use this resource.
Plan A clinics offer: free wifi and devices to empower patients to connect with their existing providers via telehealth appointments.
Reproductive Health
Almost 25% of uninsured women have not had a pap smear in the last 3 years and African American women in Mississippi are diagnosed with and die of cervical cancer at a rate nearly 50% higher than the national average. The state has the lowest rate of HPV vaccination in the country.
Plan A clinics offer: pap smears and HPV vaccinations as well as breast cancer screening.
Mississippi’s publicly-supported family planning centers are unable to meet 61% of women’s needs for contraceptive services.
— Mississippi Center for Health Policy
Our Team
Pictured, left to right
Toria Shaw, Nurse Practitioner
Juliet Thomas, Community Health Worker
Dr Andrea Collins, Collaborating Physician
Dr Caroline Weinberg, Executive Director
Not pictured: Maximillian Mckinney, Finance Director
Board of Directors
Gretchen Borchelt, National Women’s Law Center
Dr Pamela Payne Foster, Institute for Rural Health Research, University of Alabama
Jackie Sanders Hawkins, Delta Community Solutions
Richard Levin, Seavest Investment Group (term begins 2021)
Melanie Richards, Glossier (term begins 2021)
Diana Salas, National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health
Dr Ivana Thompson, Vanderbilt University School of Medicine
Sharon Weinberg, Blue Leaf Ventures (term ends 2021)
Dr Mollie Williams, The Family Van
Board of Advisors
Robin Boyles, Delta Health Center
Michelle Colon, SHERo Mississippi
Juanita Davis, The Spot
Gloria Dickerson, We2Gether
Jitoria Jones, University of Mississippi Medical Center
Leandro Mena, Open Arms
Cedric Sturdevant, PIER Outreach
Wengora Thompson, CVS Health
Research Team
Dr Vincent Mendy, Jackson State University
Jane Seymour, IBIS Reproductive Health
Rachel Nation, Mailman School of Public Health
Renee Iglesias, Mailman School of Public Health
Jessica Havens, Mailman school of Public Health
Volunteers
Sadie Cruz
Satoshi Endo
Landon Hopper
Jenny Hsieh
Pranav Ponnnaluri
Marla Pyaterneva
Zoe Reich
Courtney Smith
When I thought I had an STD I just waited for it to go away on its own. Our doctor goes to my church, I didn’t trust him not to tell my mom.
Terry, 17
Achievements
October 2018. Plan A Health incorporated as a nonprofit.
December 2018. We had our first meetings in Mississippi.
February - July 2019. Throughout 2019, we hosted focus groups and interviews with community members and organizations to develop the program. These conversations helped us to determine what services we would offer, what kind of mobile unit we would design, and how we would approach the delivery of care.
May 2019. We had our first meeting of the Board of Directors.
November 2019. Our board of directors and board of advisors gathered in Jackson and Cleveland, MS for a strategic planning meeting.
March 2020. We received our 501(c)(3) nonprofit status from the IRS.
June 2020. We reached the target funding to purchase our custom built mobile clinic and set our launch for April 2021.
September 2020. New members joined our team: a community health worker and financial director.
October 2020. We partnered with the mayor of Louise, MS to establish a permanent brick-and-mortar clinic and office in the Delta.
November 2020. The build begins! As construction began on the clinic itself, the Plan A team worked to create partnerships and collaboration with local facilities, organizations, and community leaders in advance of our April launch.
I don’t have a car so even when the doctor is free, I can’t afford to get there. When I need to go, I wake up at 6 and stand on the road waiting for someone to be going in the right direction. After the appointment, I wait at the clinic for someone heading my way home.
— Evie, age 42
2021 Future Plans
2000 Patients. Plan A’s mobile clinic will open its doors in April 2021 and we expect to see 2,000 patients in our first year, providing reproductive and sexual health services and primary care screenings free of charge to underserved communities.
40 Towns. Our mobile clinic will primarily serve small towns in the Delta with no existing providers.
20 Community Health Events. We plan to host community health events in collaboration with community partners. These events will follow best practices during the pandemic, while providing essential care services to our communities.
30,000 Miles. Our clinic will serve 5 counties, traveling more than 30,000 miles as we deliver care to uninsured and underinsured residents of the region.
Financials
In 2020, we set out to raise funds for our single biggest expense: our custom-built mobile clinic. Thanks to the generosity of our supporters, we were able to raise more than $550,000, covering both the cost of the clinic and operating expenses in this early stage. As we open our doors in 2021, our financial sustainability plans include grants from state and federal agencies, direct service reimbursements, and the continued support of individuals and foundations. Together, we can keep these essential services free for all who need them.
Our Donors
We offer our thanks to our donors at every level. Every single dollar helped us to bring healthcare to underserved communities. We are so grateful. Whether it was a $5 or $50,000 donation, your support got us on the road and will keep us there for years to come.
Founder’s Circle
$25,000 and above
Cohen-Kramarsky Family Fund
Carrie Denning Jackson
Roberta and Steve Denning
Jill Lafer
Tamer Fund for Social Ventures
Tikkun Olam Foundation
Women’s Foundation of Mississippi
Anonymous
Driver’s Circle
$10,000 and above
AL Mailman Foundation
Chris Blum, Seven Bridges Advisors
Rabbi Robert and Gina Levin, Congregation Rodeph Shalom
Margot Lurie Zimmerman
Anonymous
Changemakers
$1,000 and above
Kim Coopersmith
Ruth and Peter Goldstein
Jamie Gorelick and Richard Waldhorn
Carol and Richard Hochman
Jewish Communal Fund
Diane L Max
Katarina Mesarovich
Kazie Metzger
Laura and David Ross
Judy and Donald Smith
Peter Weinberg and Alexandra Lamm
Anonymous
The photographs in this report are the winners of our Delta Community Photo Contest. In order, Mary Catherine Brooks, Alena Welch, and Johnny Toy.
Mobile Clinic Day 1, at Mississippi Delta Community College