Las Vegas Sun

March 28, 2024

Q+A:

Planned Parenthood regional CEO concerned about health workers, overturning of Roe

Planned Parenthood

Wade Vandervort

Planned Parenthood on West Charleston Blvd in Las Vegas Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021.

Adrienne Mansanares is the new President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

Adrienne Mansanares is the new President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains.

When she was younger, Adrienne Mansanares sought out birth control, in a rural area and with no health insurance, from Planned Parenthood. She was drawn to the organization years later, serving as a board chair for seven years, then stepped into the chief experience officer role in 2016.

Now, Mansanares is the CEO and president of Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains, where her goals for Southern Nevada are driven by the instability of abortion rights guaranteed by Roe v. Wade, the 1973 landmark case that could be overturned by an anticipated decision from the Supreme Court.

Along with Southern Nevada, Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains oversees New Mexico, Colorado and Wyoming. Ridding states of the 24-week protection that Roe v. Wade allows for abortion — in some cases diminishing the window, in others banning abortion entirely — means some Americans are expected to seek services outside of their state. Mansanares predicts Nevada, which has staunch legislation that protects reproductive rights, will be one of those states.

We spoke with Mansanares about how Southern Nevada could support out-of-state patients, what reproductive care gaps exist in the state, what she looks forward to as leader of the organization, and more.

Here are some highlights from our conversation, which are edited for clarity and brevity.

What has your first few weeks as president and CEO have been like?

Incredibly busy. ... We’re really being looked to, as Roe is being questioned in the Supreme Court, as the providers of care for patients outside of our states. So a lot of that has been looking at the national landscape and working to prepare for what that could mean for our patients.

What are you hoping to see change for reproductive care in Nevada?

The reproductive care provided in Nevada is quite beneficial to the patients who need it. Nevada has wonderful provisions around telehealth, for example, so people can receive birth control or even STI testing and treatment via telehealth. And then if folks would like to come into health centers, there’s also wonderful providers who are able to provide sexual reproductive health care onsite as well.

Are there any gaps in Nevada’s care that you think should be addressed?

One of the issues we’re looking at in close partnership with the public health department ... is making sure people have access to testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections. Just given the impact of the pandemic, a lot of folks are not going in and getting their annual checkups. And so that’s one of the areas in which a lot of public health providers are partnering with other caregivers, like we are, to see if we can increase the testing and treatment for STIs.

If Roe v. Wade is overturned, do you think the two Planned Parenthood locations in Las Vegas will be enough? Are there plans to expand Planned Parenthood’s resources here?

Right now, we’re able to meet the demand that’s in the community. Our health centers are open. People can walk in or make an appointment. Also, I mentioned the telehealth options, which are really wonderful for folks who may not want to come into the health centers for whatever reason, or their work schedules don’t allow it. So there is enough care right now for the folks who need it.

(But) as we plan out for the coming year, maybe the coming two years, we would not be able to meet the kind of demands being projected from other states. ... It’s projected that patients coming from Phoenix, for example, may have to make that trip, or patients coming from as far as Mississippi or other southeastern states. And so we do worry about the capacity to meet those needs while also tending to our neighbors in the community in Southern Nevada.

Do you think telehealth will be the most important resource should we start seeing those out-of-state patients accessing care here?

Telehealth is really important. The second area that’s really critical is that we have so many wonderful, highly trained and talented health care providers who have really thrived and stuck it out over the pandemic. And so investing in our employees is really important so we’re not seeing huge turnover rates, but (rather) people come, they’re trained and they stay. That’s really critical. And then the third area is if other providers are able to expand their care as well.

The Most Rev. George Leo Thomas, bishop of the diocese of Las Vegas, said in a column Jan. 27 that Rep. Susie Lee, D-Nev., who is Catholic, should abstain from taking communion for her stance on reproductive rights. What are your thoughts on that?

Support for access to abortion care is at an all-time high, and that support includes people from a variety of religions, including Catholics. ... These decisions are deeply personal and made with our families and communities. I commend Rep. Susie Lee for standing with her constituents and sharing her story.

Outside of Nevada, what do you think is the biggest issue affecting Planned Parenthood as an organization?

If we think about Nevada, New Mexico and Colorado, our elected officials and folks who are in the regulatory environment are very supportive of reproductive and sexual health care, which is wonderful. We have champions who are representing the interests of their constituents and making sure that people can receive care. So for those states, I do worry about patients having to travel long distances. And when folks have to come in from other states, they’re just faced with another level of fatigue. Often they had to arrange childcare. Half of our patients who are seeking abortion care are already parents. So that really puts a burden on the public health system of those states where reproductive health care is accessible and legal.

Of course, in states where these bans are being introduced, it’s a very toxic, hateful environment. Those patients and communities face a high level of stigma or shame. Folks may not understand or know what laws are in play, and there’s so many complications that are coming, legally, that it’s hard for any of us to keep track of.

So I really worry for the state of the country where there are these outside states able to create these bans, and these restrictions on folks and their need to have to travel to go get care.

Do you have any goals for the future now that you’re stepping into these new positions?

I have so many! One thing I would love to do, particularly in Southern Nevada, is to create more of a community of providers where we’re collaborating. That has been strained during the pandemic. One of my major goals is to get back out in the community and really be partnering shoulder-to-shoulder so we can support each other’s goals.

The second thing I would really love is to think about more services to more people in whatever way they need those. That may be clinical advancements. It could be expansion of telehealth care. And it just may be expanding our health center hours so more people can come in when they’re comfortable and able to.

The third, as I said, is making sure our health care providers that are in this field know that they are appreciated, that they’re beloved and that they stay working in connection with Planned Parenthood. We’re seeing a lot of burnt-out folks who’ve been on the front lines for almost two years, and I want to make sure we’re investing in their own health so we have a really strong, stable foundation to continue providing care.