Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains

Beginning in 2016, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) and NIRH partnered with Bold Futures to increase access to LARC in New Mexico while preventing coercion. Through the lifetime of the partnership, this coalition, which also has included the ACLU of New Mexico, Southwest Women’s Law Center, and the New Mexico Perinatal Collaborative, came together to engage in strategic advocacy and education around LARC, including addressing unique barriers of a rural state. Beginning with the formation of a statewide advisory working group, chaired by Bold Futures, to address administrative barriers, the coalition successfully advocated for the de-bundling of LARC reimbursement from the global rate received by federally qualified health centers (FQHCs), trained providers and hospitals on implementation of immediate postpartum LARC, and ensured that private insurance companies were covering LARC as required by law. In 2019, the coalition also further ensured access by successfully securing increased Medicaid reimbursement rates for LARC insertion and removal twice in the span of the year. The work of this collaboration centered communities of color as decision makers and partners and created a sustainable plan to train providers on addressing implicit bias and reproductive coercion. Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) is working as part of a cohort of organizations in New Mexico on a long-term initiative to develop and advance an abortion rights vision, engage a new and broad base of supporters, and reduce shame and stigma by publicly promoting the affirmative value of abortion in women’s lives.