Author Archives: dnplynn

Medicaid and the Affordable Care Act According to the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, Medicaid is the cornerstone for publicly funded family planning.  Medicaid has required states to cover family planning services and supplies since 1972.  Since the 1980s, it has been the leading source of public funding for family planning.  The importance of Medicaid’s coverageContinue reading “Finance and Sustainability Issues for Family Planning”

Like no other time in history, telehealth is being used to offer services during the COVID-19 pandemic.  Rapid change of practice in response to physical distancing recommendations has resulted in increasing numbers of practices and hospitals turning to telehealth to safely care for patients. Policy changes have been made at unprecedented speeds to allow for theContinue reading “Technology, Innovation, & Family Planning”

Private organizations can be strong leaders of policy change.  Power to Decide is a non-profit organization active in advocating for policies that support a woman’s “right to determine if, when, and under what circumstances she would like to become pregnant. Power to Decide stands for equity, stating  “To us this means the promise that everyone getsContinue reading “Private Sector Work”

Demonization of women who use substances while pregnant has resulted in law enforcement policies that may have caused further harm.  In the 1980s, during the “crack-cocaine” crisis, the U.S. government shifted drug control efforts from health to criminal justice in what was called the “War on Drugs.” Some of the resulting policies led to women beingContinue reading “The Historical and Contemporary Role of Institutions and Actors and Pertinent Statutes: Addressing Unintended Pregnancy among Women with Substance Use Disorders”

The building blocks of Quality Family Planning and Reproductive Healthcare Equity Relativity applies to physics, not ethics — Albert Einstein. Autonomy and respect for persons is based on the concept that “individuals have the right to their own beliefs and values and to the decisions and choices that further these beliefs and values” (Longest, 2016).  QualityContinue reading “Ethical Essentials: Post #2”

I am creating this blog while pursuing a doctor of nursing practice degree and studying to become a women’s health nurse practitioner. The topic is important to me because I have spent the past 20 years working as a nurse caring for women and their families. I have seen firsthand the profound joy and profoundContinue reading “Introduction”