FROM KBFPC’S JULY 2024 COMMUNITY NEWSLETTER
“Thanks for helping make the community safer and more informed on health.” – KBFPC Client
Friends,
You’re busy with July activities, I know, but please take a moment with me to think about literacy. Yes, literacy is the ability to read and write, but also to navigate and use the information in websites, apps, and other digital tools. Why are we talking about literacy in a KBFPC newsletter?
At KBFPC we think a lot about health outcomes, a person’s physical and psychological well-being including their length of life and their quality of life, as well as disparities, barriers to good health outcomes that are preventable. Did you know that low or limited health literacy, including digital health literacy, is a predictor of poorer health outcomes and health disparities?
The World Health Organization (WHO) defines digital health literacy as “the ability to seek, find, understand, and appraise health information from electronic sources and apply the knowledge gained to addressing or solving a health problem. Digital health literacy is positively correlated with higher personal health literacy and access to technology.”
KBFPC supports health literacy, including the digital variety, in our clinical services, outreach efforts, communications, and education program. Here’s how:
- Making an appointment, inquiring about services, and checking in can be done on the phone, online, in-person, and with paper forms to meet the needs of each client
- KBFPC’s website is updated with current information about the menu of services and answers to common questions about reproductive and sexual health
- Appointment times are scheduled to allow time for clients to lead the conversation with their provider about their health and ask questions about their care
- Clinic staff are available for walk-in questions and always being trustworthy, knowledgeable resources for health questions
- Pop-up clinics are offered at community events to bring our commitment to clients and approach to care where clients need us
- Outreach efforts focus on sharing medically accurate reproductive health information with community members and how to access KBFPC’s low- and no-cost services
- Each client has agency over their body and providers walk clients through procedures beforehand so they can anticipate questions they might have
- KBFPC’s Community Advisory Board reviews all client educational materials for clear, inclusive language and images and making sure the tone is respectful and avoids judgement
- Sexual health education for youth includes information about reproductive health, healthy relationships, and trusted resources to help young people stay informed as they grow
- KBFPC’s new colposcope allows clients to see images from their cervical cancer screenings that providers are using to analyze their health
- Brochures and informative handouts are up-to-date and available to help clients learn about reproductive and sexual health topics at their own pace
- Translation services for clients with Limited English Proficiency (LEP) are available on-demand
- Annual Visits at KBFPC integrate other correlated health services (for example screenings for hypertension, mental health, substance misuse) to help clients learn more about their health and connect with additional needed resources
Thanks for supporting KBFPC’s clinic services and community health literacy with your donations, advocacy, and volunteer time!
In gratitude,
Claudia Haines, CEO
Join KBFPC’s Education Team
Since 2011, KBFPC has hired and trained teen Peer Educators each year to teach with adult staff and share important age-appropriate information about health, relationships, life skills, and resources with other students in the community. The Peer Education Model of “teens teaching teens” helps increase sexual health knowledge and positive learning experiences for young people in general, and KBFPC’s Peer Eds get cool learning opportunities, do creative projects, and build presentation skills in a fun, supportive environment.
Do you know a teen who would make a great Peer Educator for the 2024-25 school year? Learn more and apply today!
Mobile Mammograms and More!
Providence’s mobile mammogram bus is coming to Homer this Fall on Friday, September 6th from 9am-4pm at Kachemak Community Center. If you are ready for your annual breast cancer screening, this is a great opportunity!
Not due for a mammogram? Don’t worry, you can still join in on the fun. KBFPC is hosting a day-long event that also includes free yoga with Anna Raupp and Zumba with Katie Jo Gamble. Snag a friend and join us in a day of prioritizing your health and wellbeing!
Welcome Rachel!
Rachel Fadeley, DNP, APRN, WHNP-BC, has joined KBFPC as our new Nurse Practitioner. Having studied and practiced in Washington, Colorado, and Southcentral Alaska, Rachel moved to Homer this spring and we’re delighted to have her join us! She’ll be providing sexual & reproductive healthcare everywhere you can find KBFPC: at our Homer flagship clinic or in Kenai, via telehealth, or at other Pop-Up Clinic events around the peninsula.
Rachel is passionate about providing comprehensive, evidence-based and trauma-informed care for clients of all genders, and is a strong proponent of empowering and educating clients in their healthcare decisions. Make an appointment with Rachel, and all of our providers, by calling 907-235-3436 or by texting 907-435-7505.
Syphilis is on the rise in Alaska and poses a very serious health danger. Help KBFPC learn what the Kenai Peninsula communities already know about congenital syphilis and syphilis by taking our brief survey. Access to medically accurate information is the first step to addressing the state wide health crisis – KBFPC is here to help!
Anonymously share your knowledge by August 31st to help inform our community education efforts. If you want to share you email, you can enter a drawing for one of two $50 gift card prizes.
Reproductive Health in the News
U.S. Supreme Court Overrules Chevron Doctrine: Ripple Effects Across Health Care.
How Does Your State Rank on Women’s Health and Reproductive Care? The Commonwealth Fund’s 2024 State Scorecard was recently released.
WHO, UNFPA, UNICEF, UNAIDS and UN Women call for stronger access to sexual and reproductive health care.
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