March 5,1012

Dear Supporter,

Another devastating cut to family planning funding has been proposed -- and you can help!

Maine’s legislature still has work to do to fill a budget shortfall for state fiscal year 2013, which begins on July 1, 2012.  The Governor’s proposal for filling this budget gap includes virtually eliminating the Fund for A Healthy Maine, which means cutting $401,000 in funding for Maine’s family planning system.

If this cut is in the final 2013 state budget, 7 family planning centers that together serve 5,900 Mainers will close their doors! These health centers-- in Houlton, Dexter, Norway, Rumford, Damariscotta, Topsham and Sanford -- need to be there as a safety net for the thousands of Mainers who are losing their MaineCare coverage.

Your voice is critical to save family planning services from funding cuts!

Normally, we'd ask you to email your state legislators but they're receiving  hundreds of emails a day so we're asking you to do two things.

Call your state legislators today!  Tell them how important family planning is to you and to thousands of Mainers who rely on these services. Ask them to reject the 2013 cut to family planning within the Fund for a Healthy Maine

Here are some talking points for your phone call:

• If this cut goes through, 7 family planning health centers, mostly in rural areas of Maine, will close.
• These family planning health centers are one of the few health providers available to the thousands of people losing MaineCare coverage as a result of Governor LePage's budget cuts.
• 5,900 Mainers served by those centers will lose their health care provider
• For every dollar spent on family planning, an estimated $3.82 in Medicaid-related dollars are saved.
• This year, 82% of the patients in Maine's family planning system qualified for free or reduced fee services.

Please Call Today!  Find your legislators' phone numbers here.

If, after your phone call, you want to do more, you can write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper, using our simple letter submission form and talking points.

Thank you for taking action in support of Mainers who rely on family planning services!

Kate Brogan,
VP of Public Policy

P.S. Budget meetings will be happening very soon. Please act today!

Family Planning Association of Maine
PO Box 587
Augusta ME 04332

phone: 207.622.7524
fax: 207.622.0836