PORT TOWNSEND — Jefferson County Advocates for Better Health plans to deliver more than $10,000 raised by Jefferson County residents to the Planned Parenthood offices in Seattle on Tuesday to help fund clinics in Washington, Idaho, Alaska and Hawaii.
A Planned Parenthood fundraiser in October gathered more than 200 Jefferson County residents and raised $10,000, which included a matching fund from an anonymous donor, according to Daniel Millholland of Thunder Bull Productions and coordinator of the October event.
“Port Townsend is a community with a heart,” Linda Martin, volunteer co-coordinator and a member of Jefferson County Advocates for Better Health (ABH), said in a press release.
“Millions of families rely on Planned Parenthood for their health services and will be without care should those clinics close. We are dedicated to ensuring those services remain available and will continue to actively work to improve health care for all Americans.”
Currently, there is no Planned Parenthood in Jefferson County. The closest location is in Port Angeles, while another is located in Bremerton.
However, the Jefferson County ABH said Jefferson Healthcare and Jefferson County Public Health have done a good job in providing services such as family planning, STD testing and basic health care to the local community.
Currently, Jefferson Healthcare runs a family planning program that extends into sexual education in local schools and opened a women’s clinic last April.
The clinic, located at 834 Sheridan St., provides reproductive health services including STD and cancer screenings.
Local nonprofit Dove House also offers housing and advocacy services for women and children who have been victims of domestic violence.
Dove House participated in the October event by running the bar, where all sales of local beer, wine and cider went to support Dove House services.
The event, which was held at the Jefferson County Fairgrounds on Oct. 21, was a celebration of Planned Parenthood’s centennial.
Members of ABH plan to meet with Planned Parenthood Area Services Director Jack Slowriver on Tuesday to present the funds. Slowriver was one of the speakers at the centennial event.
Aside from the more than $10,000 collected in donations, Millholland said roughly $2,000 worth of music, cider and cake was donated by local businesses to make the October event possible.
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Jefferson County Editor/
