April 2021: Issue 4
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Wyoming Health Council contributes to health and well-being for all, where we grow, live, learn, work and play.

Biden Administration to Rewrite Family Planning Program Rules
HHS commented on March 18, 2021, that "it plans to write new rules for the Title X federal family planning program, effectively undoing an overhaul the Trump administration imposed that barred clinics that referred patients for abortions from receiving federal funding.

The Title X program provides a range of reproductive health services for millions of low-income patients across the country, from contraception to cancer screenings to fertility treatments. The program was never allowed to cover abortion directly due to a long-standing ban on federal funding for the procedure, but providers were able to refer patients who requested an abortion.

Since the Trump administration’s rules were implemented, the network of clinics serving the low-income Title X population had seen a mass exodus of providers who felt the ban on abortion referrals amounted to a “gag” that hurt their ability to communicate with their patients. A full quarter of providers left the program, according to the Guttmacher Institute, a pro-abortion rights research organization, leaving six states with no Title X clinics at all and several others with only a handful of sites."

Read the article in Politico.

The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) is asking the Biden Administration to move quickly, as "the timeline outlined in the announcement would not likely bring relief to the network until next year."

They are asking for individuals to contact President Biden today and ask his administration to suspend the 2019 rule and to direct HHS to move as quickly as possible through the rulemaking process.

To reach the White House, complete this email form or call the White House comment line at 202-456-1111.
  • If you prefer to call, you can use the email form as a template for what to say. 

If you have questions about this request, please contact Mindy McGrath, Senior Director, Policy & Communications, at [email protected]. 
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Dr. Rachel Levine
New Assistant Secretary For Health
On March 24, 2021, Dr. Rachel Levine became the first openly transgendered, Senate-confirmed federal official in U.S. history!

Dr. Levine has previously been a pediatrician, professor, public speaker, as well as Pennsylvania's Secretary of Health from 2018-2021 and Physician General from 2015-2017.

While Dr. Levine will undoubtable be focused on the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, she also will be focusing on reproductive health. "With her job comes the enormous task of undoing the web of Trump-era health regulations that disproportionately prevent people with low incomes and people of color from accessing abortion care and affordable contraception, breast and cervical cancer screening, and STI and HIV testing."

“It is a historic, inspiring day for the LGBTQ community, particularly transgender people, who are finally able to see themselves reflected at the highest levels of our government... At a time when transgender children are under attack by state legislatures across the U.S., and access to healthcare is systematically threatened for transgender and gender non-conforming people, Dr. Levine has the compassion and understanding to improve the health needs of our diverse and growing population."
Wyoming Title X Clinic of the Month

Reproductive Healthcare of The Big Horns
Located in Sheridan County, Wyoming, Reproductive Health Care of the Big Horns is a non-profit organization offering reproductive health services including annual exams, breast exams, STD testing, birth control, pregnancy tests and ECP (morning after pill). They also see Men for their reproductive health care needs, STD testing and treatment!

Now providing gender affirming hormone therapy at the clinic!

The Reproductive Healthcare of the Big Horns provides safe, affordable, accessible reproductive healthcare.

Make an appointment today at
307.672.7054
or their website at
Sexual Assault Awareness and Prevention Month
It's not always obvious when someone you know or care about has been affected by sexual violence. Learning the warning signs for children, teens, and college-age adults can help you know when to act.

  • Depression, anxiety, avoidance.
  • Self Harm
  • Sexually transmitted infections
  • Increased drug or alcohol use
  • Falling grades
  • Signs of trauma to genital area in children or bruising.

Call the National Sexual Assault Hotline at:
1-800-656-4673

In Wyoming contact the Wyoming Coalition Against Domestic Violence and Sexual Assault at:
307-755-5482
or visit their site at

Visit RAINN.ORG for more information.
Everyone Is Affected by Sexual Violence
  • Every 73 seconds another American is sexually assaulted.1
  • 1 out of every 6 American women has been the victim of an attempted or completed rape in her lifetime (14.8% completed, 2.8% attempted).4
  • About 3% of American men—or 1 in 33—have experienced an attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.4
  • From 2009-2013, Child Protective Services agencies substantiated, or found strong evidence to indicate that, 63,000 children a year were victims of sexual abuse.5
  • A majority of child victims are 12-17. Of victims under the age of 18: 34% of victims of sexual assault and rape are under age 12, and 66% of victims of sexual assault and rape are age 12-17.6
  • https://www.rainn.org/statistics
Black Maternal Health Week
According to the CDC, Pregnancy Mortality Surveillance System (PMSS) , defines a pregnancy-related death as the death of a woman while pregnant or within 1 year of the end of pregnancy from any cause related to or aggravated by the pregnancy. The PMSS found that black women comprised 41.7 deaths per 100,000 live births, stating that, "Variability in the risk of death by race/ethnicity may be due to several factors including access to care, quality of care, prevalence of chronic diseases, structural racism, and implicit biases."
 
Action, training, support and advocacy must start now to keep our Black mothers and babies healthy and safe!
 
Check out the PBS News Hour clip below for some good information!
The Black Maternal Health Virtual Conference

The Black Maternal Health Virtual Conference will be held from Friday, April 16, 2021 to Saturday, April 17, 2021. Founded and led by the Black Mamas Matter Alliance (BMMA), the Black Maternal Health Conference is the premier assembly for Black women, clinicians, professionals, advocates, and other stakeholders working to improve maternal health using the birth justice, reproductive justice, and human rights frameworks. This year’s virtual conference will offer a national space for learning, rich discussions, and mobilization to transform Black maternal health, rights, and justice.
WYOMING HEALTH COUNCIL
400 East First St, Suite 313
Casper, WY 82601

Call Us: (307) 439-2033