Tri-Cities Planned Parenthood Raiz Program Grows Despite COVID

Now in it’s seventh year, the Planned Parenthood of Greater Washington and North Idaho Raiz program (Spanish for “root”) continues to grow. This endeavor was designed to build long-term, sustainable, community organizing structures with authentic partnerships in the Latinx community.

The Raiz team has been hard at work supporting immigrants during COVID-19 through food drives, rapid response and social service referrals and assistance.

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In June, PPGWNI Raiz and medical staff collaborated to create a Mobile Outreach Clinic that travels to rural areas of Central and Eastern Washington to provide COVID-19 testing to farm and warehouse workers. They also held 13 clinics and provided medical services to almost 500 local workers. And that's just the beginning of the local impact the program is having.

In addition to the mobile outreach clinics in 2020, Raiz raised awareness of reproductive health access and advocated for the inclusion of undocumented workers and their families in COVID-19 stimulus programs, which led to $40 million in financial assistance for immigrants through the Washington Immigrant Relief Fund.

Like so many organizations, PPGWNI has had to shift and adapt during these once-in-a-century COVID times to a new way of serving the community. In addition to family planning services, they have moved to include general health care and delivered services by incorporating telehealth platforms and online outreach programs.

If you would like to peruse the Kennewick chapter of Planned Parenthood click this link.

The Raiz program is about more than just health. It’s about justice, knowledge, and power. The program has been in operation since 2014. Go here to learn more.