Organon Launches U.S. Grant Programs and Listening Tour as Part of “Her Plan Is Her Power,” Reaching High-Need Communities To Help Reduce Unplanned Pregnancies
U.S. grant programs include:
Funding for select community health clinics in contraceptive deserts in Texas, Ohio and Georgia and product donations for Direct Relief’s clinic network
Ambassador program through Power to Decide to address the sexual and reproductive health needs of students at five Historically Black Colleges and Universities (HBCUs)
February 20, 2024 /3BL/ - Today, Organon (NYSE: OGN), a global healthcare company with a focus on women’s health, embarks on the next phase of programming for “Her Plan is Her Power,” to improve access and outcomes related to unplanned pregnancy in the U.S. This includes a grant to Direct Relief in support of safety-net health facilities located in contraceptive deserts, contraceptive product donations, and funding for Power to Decide for an ambassador program at select HBCUs. As part of this programming, a listening tour at select clinics in Direct Relief’s network kicked off at AccessHealth in Texas. The listening tour aims to engage local community stakeholders and healthcare clinic teams to understand barriers to contraceptive access and reproductive care and the community-driven interventions which can address these barriers. The effort aims to accelerate progress towards Organon’s goal to help prevent 120 million unplanned pregnancies globally by 2030.
Unplanned pregnancies are in part caused by lack of access to contraception information and services.[1] In the U.S., the birth rate among teens of color is roughly twice as high as compared with white teens.[2] According to data from Power to Decide, an estimated 19 million women of reproductive age in the U.S. live in contraceptive deserts[3], where there is a lack of reasonable access to a health center that offers the full range of contraceptive methods. In response, Organon developed “Her Plan is Her Power,” an initiative to drive action and community-led responses to reduce unplanned pregnancies and empower women and girls when it comes to their reproductive health.
“There is a dramatic opportunity to reduce unplanned pregnancies in the U.S. and help women and girls take control of their future,” said Kevin Ali, Organon CEO. “Fundamental to this work is addressing access and education about contraception. At Organon, we are proud to extend the reach of ‘Her Plan is Her Power’ and continue working with others to help all women and girls achieve their promise.”
Building on the March 2023 global launch of “Her Plan is Her Power,” U.S. grant programs and partnerships with Direct Relief and Power to Decide include:
- Nearly 40,000 units of product donations over three years for non-profit safety-net health facilities within Direct Relief’s network of 4,000+ clinics that are providing contraceptive and women’s health services for underserved women and communities.
- Grants to four community health clinics selected by Direct Relief, located in high-need contraceptive deserts supporting programs that increase contraceptive access, knowledge and equity in their communities.
- Support for 10 student ambassadors at five HBCUs selected by Power to Decide, promoting a culture of reproductive well-being through student-led engagement strategies on social media, on campus and in the surrounding community; availability of safer sex supplies; and access to medically accurate, relevant information on sexual and reproductive health through Bedsider.org.
“Across the U.S., nonprofit safety net health facilities work heroically each day to fill a critical gap in essential services for people who need them,” said Thomas Tighe, Direct Relief CEO. “Organon’s leadership on this initiative is a perfect example of what’s needed and will ensure these clinics can do even more for their patients.”
The grant to Direct Relief will support the development or expansion of specific initiatives targeting local needs at the following clinics and communities: Plan A Health (Macon and Marion counties, GA), East Texas Community Health Services (Nacogdoches, TX), AccessHealth (Richmond, TX), and Heart of Ohio Family Health (Columbus, OH). The students taking part in the Power to Decide ambassador program attend the following HBCUs: Fayetteville State University (Fayetteville, NC), Tougaloo College (Tougaloo, MS), The University of the Virgin Islands (Charlotte Amalie, St. Thomas), Xavier University of Louisiana (New Orleans, LA) and Tuskegee University (Tuskegee, AL).
“Power to Decide’s programming aims to advance a culture of reproductive well-being, an innovative framework centered on the belief that every person should have equitable access to information, services, systems and support to make informed decisions related to their sexuality and reproduction,” said Power to Decide CEO Dr. Raegan McDonald-Mosley, MD, MPH. “Through our HBCU ambassador program and Bedsider.org, we’re supporting young people’s health needs by educating the next generation and reinforcing the importance of taking charge of your health.”
About Organon
Organon is a global healthcare company formed to focus on improving the health of women throughout their lives. Organon offers more than 60 medicines and products in women’s health in addition to a growing biosimilars business and a large franchise of established medicines across a range of therapeutic areas. Organon’s existing products produce strong cash flows that support investments in innovation and future growth opportunities in women’s health and biosimilars. In addition, Organon is pursuing opportunities to collaborate with biopharmaceutical innovators looking to commercialize their products by leveraging its scale and presence in fast growing international markets.
Organon has a global footprint with significant scale and geographic reach, world-class commercial capabilities, and approximately 10,000 employees with headquarters located in Jersey City, New Jersey.
For more information, visit http://www.organon.com and connect with us on LinkedIn, Instagram, X (formerly known as Twitter) and Facebook.
Cautionary Note Regarding Forward-Looking Statements
Except for historical information, this press release includes “forward-looking statements” within the meaning of the safe harbor provisions of the U.S. Private Securities Litigation Reform Act of 1995, including statements regarding Organon’s “Her Plan is Her Power” program. Forward-looking statements may be identified by words such as "foresees" “expects,” “intends,” “anticipates,” “plans,” “believes,” “seeks,” “estimates,” “will” or words of similar meaning. These statements are based upon the current beliefs and expectations of Organon’s management and are subject to significant risks and uncertainties. If underlying assumptions prove inaccurate or risks or uncertainties materialize, actual results may differ materially from those set forth in the forward-looking statements. Organon undertakes no obligation to publicly update any forward-looking statement, whether as a result of new information, future events or otherwise. Additional factors that could cause results to differ materially from those described in the forward-looking statements can be found in Organon’s filings with the Securities and Exchange Commission ("SEC"), including the company’s most recent Annual Report on Form 10-K and subsequent SEC filings, available at the SEC’s Internet site (www.sec.gov).
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[1] Reasons for discontinuation of contraception among women with a current unintended pregnancy in 36 low and middle-income countries, Contraception, Volume 101, Issue 1, 2020, Pages 26-33, ISSN 0010-7824, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.contraception.2019.09.006.
[2] National Vital Statistics Report, Births: Final Data for 2020, 2022 https://www.cdc.gov/nchs/data/nvsr/nvsr70/nvsr70-17.pdf
[3] Power to Decide, Lack of Access = Lack of Power to Decide, 2023 https://powertodecide.org/what-we-do/contraceptive-deserts
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