Accessmatters

Providing health services: accessmatters' provides guidance, referrals, and case management directly to clients through public health programs and accessmatters' information hotline. In fy2024, accessmatters' patient navigation programs provided warm referrals, individualized support for appointments, and linkage to care for services related to family planning and substance use disorder.accessmatters' also provided community outreach, information, and education services through accessmatters' information hotline. The hotline, with both phone and text capability, fielded over 3,000 requests in fy2024 answering questions, providing health counseling, and making referrals to care on issues ranging from stis to adolescent health to birth control and consent. Accessmatters' information hotline is staffed by trained counselors who provide compassionate, confidential, and comprehensive information and referrals for services. Hotline staff also provide outreach services at health fairs and community events, both virtual and in-person.

Engaging in research, training and advocacy: accessmatters' trains organizations in best practices, investigates public health issues, and evaluates quality of care. Accessmatters' centers health access, breaks down stigma, ensures confidentiality, and works to normalize discussions of the provisions of health and reproductive health services. Accessmatters supports long-standing, nationally-recognized research, evaluation, training, and quality management programs, providing tailored solutions for hundreds of healthcare and social service providers helping people and organizations engage to work in trauma-informed and client-centered ways. In fy2024, accessmatters' evaluated healthcare providers' success in implementing best practices and assessed the effectiveness of innovative interventions; our team conducted 10 literature reviews, needs assessments, and environmental scans; and conducted over 30 presentations, including 2 conference presentations. In fy2024, accessmatters' provided more than 150 virtual professional development and skills-building trainings and evidence-based interventions on topics related to reproductive health, client-centered care, health access, and social determinants of health. Accessmatters' trainings were delivered to thousands of health, medicine, and human service providers as well as staff of foundations, corporations, and government agencies locally, regionally, and nationally. Accessmatters' recognizes the need for ongoing advocacy to underscore the importance of continued funding and support for this vital work and speaks out to shape opinion and policy on key issues. In fy2024, accessmatters weighed in on local, state, and national policy, outlining effective policy solutions and program strategy. Accessmatters' implemented over 500 unique actions, including over 20 engagements with elected and appointed officials to address the issues that impact accessmatters' programs and the people they serve. Key issues included: comprehensive reproductive health education, contraceptive care and counseling, sti prevention and treatment (including hiv), trauma informed care practices, health outcomes for people who are pregnant and/or parenting, title x family planning program service provision and funding, assessing client need for reproductive health care, reproductive life planning, intimate partner violence and healthy relationships education, family education to support youth mental health and healthy communication, and language education.