Montco App Introduced

The Montgomery County website won an award recently.  The County Commissioners Association of Pennsylvania (CCAP) named www.montcopa.org as the winner of their Excellence in Website Design Award.

Recognizing that people use mobile devices to search the web, the county has launched a mobile app, GoMontco.  It is free and available for both iOS and Android devices.  The app is designed to reflect the website.

Both provide information on news, calendar, parks & trails, staff director, FAQs, RFP & bids, jobs, and others.

Affordable Care Act Site for Small Business

The Obama Administration has launched Business.USA.gov/healthcare. The web-based tool delivers information based on a business’ size, location, and plans for offering health benefits to workers next year.  It also addresses misconceptions about the law and to provide information for small business owners across the country.

Student Loan Legislation

from the inbox, a link to Cecilia Munoz's post, "A Better Bargain for Students," on the White House blog.  Here is an excerpt:

This afternoon, President Obama made an important step toward that promise by signing into law the bipartisan student loan interest rate compromise, which advances our nation's commitment to students by cutting rates on nearly all new loans this year – saving a typical undergraduate student $1,500 over the life of his or her loans. This legislation allows borrowers to benefit from the low interest rates currently available in the marketplace, guarantees that borrowers are able to lock in these rates over the life of their loans, and protects future borrowers by capping how high rates can rise.

The signing of this legislation is a key victory for students, one in which Members of Congress from both sides of the aisle came together around the important mission of keeping college affordable for American students and their families.

Under the new law, nearly 11 million borrowers will see their interest rates decrease on new loans made after July 1, 2013. About 8.8 million undergraduate borrowers will see their rates on new loans drop from 6.8 to 3.86 percent, and about 1.5 million Graduate Unsubsidized Stafford borrowers will see their rates drop on new loans from 6.8 percent to 5.41 percent. Finally, over 1 million Grad PLUS and Parent PLUS borrowers will see their rates on new loans drop from 7.9 percent to 6.41 percent—the first reduction in years.

Another Gun Loophole Attempt

At present residents of Pennsylvania who wish to have a gun permit apply to their county sheriff's office (except for Philadelphia, where it is allowable to also apply to the chief of the city police force).  A new bill introduced in the Pennsylvania Senate, SB 1071, would change that.  the proposed legislation would allow people to also apply to the sheriff's department in contiguous counties.  Residents of Philadelphia could apply in Philadelphia, or the Bucks, Delaware, or Montgomery Counties.

The bill has eight sponsors:  ALLOWAY, KASUNIC, SCARNATI, WHITE, YUDICHAK, SOLOBAY, WOZNIAK AND BREWSTER

State Rep. Roebuck on Philly Schools

from the inbox:

State Rep. James Roebuck, D-Phila., Democratic chairman of the House Education Committee, issued this statement on the Philadelphia public schools' financial problems: 

"I was offended by the response from the Corbett administration. The $45 million for which they apparently want to take credit is NOT state money, but rather federal money the state owed that the Obama administration has forgiven. Essentially, all the Corbett administration is doing is the $15 million increase in the basic education subsidy for Philadelphia that doesn’t make up for two years of much deeper cuts in state funding. I would also like to point out that the city council and the teachers have been doing their part – it is the Corbett administration that has been letting our children down. 

"I would remind everyone that the new state budget only restores $122 million of the nearly $1 billion cut statewide from K-12 education two years ago, a cut that was locked in by flat funding last year. I supported a Democratic budget amendment this year that would have restored about $300 million of those cuts as part of a plan to restore the entire amount over three years."

Rain Delays

There was a lot of water where I live this morning.  Along some of the streets water was up to the middle of the tires on cars parked along the curb.  The streets themselves were like fast moving streams.  As I walked to the train station the water was to my ankles on the sidewalk (it was higher on the edge of the street and maybe lower in the middle, but, given the rain and limited visibility, I wasn't going to walk in the street).  I was splashed by passing cars and drenched when I got to work.   Fortunately I keep a gym bag in my office.  Sweat pants and sneakers may not be acceptable office attire but at least they were dry.

SEPTA service was disrupted in places.  They've posted details and pictures of some of the damaged tracks.  I'd rather be late than on a derailed train and looking at these pictures I think delays were definitely called for.

Mark Kelly on Ross Township Shootings

from the inbox last week:

CAPT. MARK KELLY STATEMENT ON SHOOTING AT PENNSYLVANIA TOWN HALL MEETING "Gabby and I were saddened to hear about the terrible tragedy in Ross Township. The shooting bears a heartbreaking similarity to the Congress on Your Corner event in Tucson where a disturbed person fired dozens of rounds, wounding and killing Americans as they participated in one of the cornerstones of our democracy: a public meeting with elected officials. These horrific shootings have become all too frequent, and we've learned that they don't discriminate. They can happen anytime, anywhere, from Tucson in the Southwest desert, to Aurora in the Rocky Mountains, to Oak Creek in suburban Wisconsin, now to Ross Township in rural Pennsylvania. We have to do more -- all of us -- to make sure future tragedies like last night's aren't visited upon other communities." 

Brendan Boyle's Higher Ed Plan

This note, from the inbox, is intriguing.  I'm not sure it would work but it's an interesting idea:

State Representative Brendan F. Boyle (D-Philadelphia/Montgomery) announced a bill to commission a legislative committee to conduct an analysis of a plan to eliminate tuition at Pennsylvania’s public colleges and universities. The plan, popularly known as “Pay It Forward,” would forgo tuition at public colleges by collecting a portion of students’ postgraduate earnings over a set period of time.  

 “With Pennsylvania’s college graduates shouldering the second highest level of student loan debt in the country, the need to take a hard look at our existing system of funding higher education is urgent,” said Boyle. “This legislation would initiate the process of conducting a comprehensive, in-depth analysis of the Pay It Forward model.” 

The plan was first detailed in a 2012 report by the Seattle based Economic Opportunity Institute (EOI). If implemented, Pay It Forward would operate as a trust fund for public higher education. The program would initially be financed by seed money that would sustain it while the pool of graduates paying into the trust fund expanded to a level that would make it self sufficient. The period of time estimated for the program to become self-sustaining is estimated to be over 20 years in the initial EOI study, though that figure could vary based on the size and projected post-graduate earnings of Pennsylvania’s eligible student population. “At this point, we don’t have a clear idea on what the needs of Pay It Forward in Pennsylvania would be,” said Boyle. “That is why we need this study, so that we can gain a better understanding of this plan before discussing whether it is the most effective way of addressing the problems of student debt and college attainment in the Commonwealth.” 

If passed, the bill would commission a committee overseen by a bipartisan group of state Representatives and Senators to examine Pay It Forward’s cost, potential funding sources and the feasibility of implementing a pilot program at selected Pennsylvania public colleges and universities. A full report of the committee’s finding would be published at the conclusion of the study. There are currently a handful of states that are considering or have passed similar legislation, including Oregon, which last month passed legislation that Boyle credits as the impetus behind his proposal. 

“I think the number of states that have expressed interest in this model demonstrates that the traditional way of financing public higher education is fundamentally broken and that there is a strong demand for new ideas. The Oregon bill offers an excellent template for how such a game changing proposal should be approached,” Boyle said. “Given that this plan would likely require an investment of tens of billions of dollars before becoming solvent, carefully examining the merits and cost of Pay It Forward on an objective and nonpartisan basis will provide insight into whether such a program is feasible in Pennsylvania. 

This plan would represent a revolutionary step in how public higher education is funded and accessed in Pennsylvania, and such a significant step demands an equally rigorous analysis to make sure we have the best available information to work with moving forward. The limited experience in the United States with this type of higher education funding model means we need to look at the long term ramifications of such a plan.” 

The legislation, which Boyle intends to introduce when the House reconvenes in September, is not the first attempt by the lawmaker to promote an unconventional way of promoting college accessibility. In 2009, Boyle introduced the REACH Scholarship, which has been reintroduced in subsequent legislative sessions and would provide fully paid tuition and fees to qualifying high school students at public colleges. “As with the REACH Scholarship, I hope this legislation can promote new ways of looking at how we champion college accessibility in our state, and I welcome the discussion. I look forward to working with my colleagues in Harrisburg to get this bill passed, and advancing the dialogue about how we’re going to keep a quality college education in Pennsylvania attainable for generations to come.”

Two Education Notes

Two interesting articles / editorials on education crossed my screen recently.

First, John Micek, editorial page editor of the Harrisburg Patriot News, pens an op-ed, "Harrisburg's summer teacher exodus is a wake-up call," August 7th.

Here's an excerpt:

But talented teachers are the engine that makes a school district go. It's beyond cliche at this point that the right teacher can change a student's life for the better. And attracting and retaining qualified teachers is one of the keys to the district's future success. 

Secondly, Ronnie Polaneczky, in the August 10th Inquirer, writes a column, "Philly schools go on your report card, too."  She provides a list of reasons people who don't have children in public schools should be concerned about the school system.  She has some points directed at those of us in the 'burbs.  It's a well-thought-out piece.

Good weekend reading.

Suburbanites, too, ought to worry about the state of Philly education. Because the city's traumas have a way of becoming the suburbs' traumas. Just look how crime is rising in towns just beyond Philly's poorer borders. Think that's gonna improve if our schools tank? Think the towns just beyond inner-ring won't eventually feel the pain, too, as the ills spread outward?
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130811_Philly_schools_go_on_your_report_card__too.html#v47xbzDW0V2f4IRS.99

Suburbanites, too, ought to worry about the state of Philly education. Because the city's traumas have a way of becoming the suburbs' traumas. Just look how crime is rising in towns just beyond Philly's poorer borders. Think that's gonna improve if our schools tank? Think the towns just beyond inner-ring won't eventually feel the pain, too, as the ills spread outward?
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130811_Philly_schools_go_on_your_report_card__too.html#v47xbzDW0V2f4IRS.99

Suburbanites, too, ought to worry about the state of Philly education. Because the city's traumas have a way of becoming the suburbs' traumas. Just look how crime is rising in towns just beyond Philly's poorer borders. Think that's gonna improve if our schools tank? Think the towns just beyond inner-ring won't eventually feel the pain, too, as the ills spread outward?
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130811_Philly_schools_go_on_your_report_card__too.html#v47xbzDW0V2f4IRS.99

Suburbanites, too, ought to worry about the state of Philly education. Because the city's traumas have a way of becoming the suburbs' traumas. Just look how crime is rising in towns just beyond Philly's poorer borders. Think that's gonna improve if our schools tank? Think the towns just beyond inner-ring won't eventually feel the pain, too, as the ills spread outward?
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130811_Philly_schools_go_on_your_report_card__too.html#v47xbzDW0V2f4IRS.99

Suburbanites, too, ought to worry about the state of Philly education. Because the city's traumas have a way of becoming the suburbs' traumas. Just look how crime is rising in towns just beyond Philly's poorer borders. Think that's gonna improve if our schools tank? Think the towns just beyond inner-ring won't eventually feel the pain, too, as the ills spread outward?
Read more at http://www.philly.com/philly/news/20130811_Philly_schools_go_on_your_report_card__too.html#v47xbzDW0V2f4IRS.99

New Wolf Video

Tom Wolf, one of the Democrats running for governor in 2014, has released a new video, discussing his management philosophy (or actually, it's mostly his employees discussing the corporate management style).  Take a look.

SEPTA Regional Rail Schedule Changes

from the inbox:

New schedules are available now for all SEPTA Regional Rail Lines.  Highlights of the August 11^th schedule change include: 

 Paoli/Thorndale: Additional express trains have been added to both AM and PM rush hours.  

Media/Elwyn: Primos Station has been added as a station stop on all express trains operating to and from Center City. 

Lansdale/Doylestown: Midday train service has been restored between Colmar and Doylestown eliminating the current shuttle bus operation.   

Manayunk/Norristown: To support ongoing track work, all weekday inbound and outbound trains will have three to five minute adjustments to the current scheduled times. 

For detailed information, passengers can visit www.septa.org/schedules/upcoming.html to view changes to their train lines and download new schedules. 

Braddock Mayor Marries Gay Couple

Montgomery County is in the news for issuing marriage licenses to gay and lesbian couples.  State Senator Daylin Leach has performed one marriage ceremony.  Braddock Mayor John Fetterman has now joined him by marrying a gay couple of Allegheny County.  (See "Braddock Mayor Performs First Gay Marriage in Allegheny Co.," CBS Pittsburgh, 8/05/2103).

National Constitution Center Celebrates Constitution Day

note from the inbox:

The U.S. Constitution—signed on September 17, 1787—remains ever-present in our national dialogue, with constitutional issues from privacy to presidential power confronting the country daily. As the Museum of We the People, America’s Town Hall, and a leading center for civic education, the National Constitution Center serves as the national headquarters for Constitution Day on September 17, 2013, honoring the Constitution’s 226th anniversary and its enduring significance. The celebration features a wide range of FREE educational festivities and timely constitutional conversations with leading scholars and experts. Last year, over 5,000 students, teachers, and other guests visited the museum on Constitution Day.

A number of special activities and events are planned.  This year, special Constitution Day guests include Congressman John Lewis of Georgia, civic activist Mary Beth Tinker, and humanitarian Gerda Weissmann Klein, who will each participate in several events throughout the day.  There is a special web page for teachers with educational resources listed: constitutioncenter.org/constitution-day

Education Law Center Files Complaint Over PA Program

from the inbox (received yesterday, embargoed for today)

The Education Law Center today filed a complaint with the U.S. Department of Justice seeking an investigation into discriminatory placement of students in Pennsylvania’s Alternative Education for Disruptive Youth programs.

The complaint cites four years worth of data showing a disproportionately high number of students with disabilities and African American students are removed from traditional public schools and sent to educationally inferior AEDY or similar alternative education programs, often in violation of federal laws.

"As a result of the Pennsylvania Department of Education's policies and practices, including its approval of alternative education programs, numerous school districts in Pennsylvania are discriminating against students with disabilities and African American students through the misuse of alternative education placements. The disproportionate and frequent placement of students with disabilities and African American students in such disciplinary settings violates the Americans with Disabilities Act and the Civil Rights Act," said David Lapp, Education Law Center attorney. 

"By turning a blind eye toward overwhelming evidence of the disparate impact on students with disabilities and African American students, the Pennsylvania Department of Education has violated its duties under these laws," Lapp added.

ELC filed the complaint in response to numerous allegations from parents and students regarding improper placements and poor academic programming in various alternative education programs. 

Following the repeated allegations, the Law Center requested and analyzed data from the previous four school years, examining the number of students with disabilities sent to alternative education programs, as well as the number of minority students sent to those programs.

The research shows:

_ In public schools in Pennsylvania as a whole, 16 percent of students are identified as students with disabilities. However, in recent years, even as the total number of alternative placements has dropped, the percentage of students with disabilities sent to alternative education programs has increased to 44 percent.

_ 82 school districts in 2010-11 where more than 50 percent of the students sent to alternative education programs were students with disabilities.

_ African American students are similarly overrepresented in alternative education placements. While African American students comprise only 15 percent of Pennsylvania public school students, in 2010-11 they comprised 35 percent of the students placed into alternative education programs.

_ 45 school districts in 2010-11 that had a disparity of 20 percentage points or more between the percent of African Americans in the district and the percent of African Americans placed in the districts’ alternative education programs.

_ 24 districts had disparities of 20 percentage points or higher for both African American students and students with disabilities.

"This data and the experiences of our clients suggest that PDE is failing its responsibility to ensure that students with disabilities and African American students are not being placed in separate and stigmatizing settings at a disproportionate rate," said Lapp. "At the same time, PDE must ensure that these schools are not being used as dumping grounds and that students who are appropriately placed in these schools are receiving the proper educational services to which they’re entitled."

In addition to a full investigation, ELC is urging the Department of Justice to direct PDE to develop a protocol to determine and document the placement of students into alternative education programs; perform compliance reviews of districts’ alternative school policies; develop procedures to prevent future discrimination against students with disabilities and African American students; and establish a clear, non-discriminatory process for successfully transitioning students back into regular education classrooms.

Review the complaint: ELC_DOJ_AEDYComplaint_8_7_13.pdf

Bank of America and Habitat for Humanity

Tomorrow, August 7th, Bank of America is going to announce a $50,000 gift to Habitat for Humanity Philadelphia.

Habitat for Humanity is a wonderful organization and it is wonderful to see them receiving such a gift.

It is grand that Bank of America is giving them the money.

One other infobit:  "Pay rises 70% to $12 million for Bank of America CEO Moynihan," by Andrew Dunn and Deon Roberts, Charlotte Observer, March 28, 2013 tells us:

Bank of America CEO Brian Moynihan was awarded $12 million in base salary, stock awards and other compensation for his 2012 performance, the Charlotte bank disclosed Thursday. It was a 70 percent jump from what Moynihan was awarded the year before.

In 2011, Moynihan was awarded $7 million in total compensation, down from $10 million in 2010.

To be fair, Bank of America Corporate Social Responsibility outlined their many philanthropic endeavors across the US and around the world.  They are doing some interesting things.  Their work in renewable energy is especially intriguing.  You can read more in their 2012 report.

Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/03/28/3945671/bank-of-america-ceo-brian-moynihan.html#storylink=cpy

,
Read more here: http://www.charlotteobserver.com/2013/03/28/3945671/bank-of-america-ceo-brian-moynihan.html#storylink=cpy"

Philly Education: What's An Outsider to Do?

Many parents groups and educational organizations and elected officials are trying to sort out the public schools in Philadelphia.  I would imagine that the last thing they would find useful is a well-intentioned middle-class middle-aged suburban woman swooping in with opinions.  So I've generally stayed out of the Philadelphia school situation.  What could I do?

Rachel Held Evans, a wonderful writer who has a blog on women and religion, has an interview with author Nicole Baker Fulgam.  I haven't read Fulgam's book (though Evan's A Year of Biblical Womanhood is both delightful and thought-provoking), but the brief interview with Held gives some excellent suggestions for suburban churches whose congregations are concerned about the local public schools in their area.

Fulgam's Expectations Project  is also intriguing.  Definitely something to investigate further.

A Tale of Two Marriages

Last month marked the 30^th anniversary of my marriage to Mr. J.  The wedding was in a park, under a gazebo.  We invited 50 people and 25 were able to attend, which is about what we were expecting.  I found the dress on a department store sale rack right after prom season.  It wasn’t designed as a wedding dress but did well at a small outdoor wedding.  Family catered the reception; friends took pictures and provided live music.    It was an inauspicious start to what has been (and remains) a partnership and love affair.  Like all marriages there have been ups and downs, many good days and a few bad, but never once have I regretted marrying my beloved.

Love and affection aside, a marriage is a legal arrangement.  It is the difference between an “emergency contact” and “next of kin.”  It is the legal relationship with shared children.  It is a joint mortgage and checking account and presumed rights of inheritance.  I wake every day with the knowledge that should disaster strike Mr. J will make any needed medical and financial decisions.  The birth of our first child was difficult.  When it was all over and done with the doctor patted my leg (that’s what it looked like, anyway, I couldn’t feel a thing) and said “just think, 100 years ago you and the baby both would have died.”  When it became clear that the delivery would be a little different than we had planned, and I became completely preoccupied with the physicality of things, Mr. J’s was the only voice I could hear.  It was as if the doctors and nurses were speaking another language.  The doctors would talk to Mr. J and he would talk with me.  I would whisper to him and he would talk with the doctors and nurses.   I knew everything would be okay because he was with me.   He could make decisions for me because we are legally married.  There were no questions about it.  No one else needed to be consulted.

The terrible night when he was hours late getting home because his train was stuck in a tunnel and he couldn’t call, as I put the kids to bed and hoped my answer to their questions about where Daddy was (“he had to work late”) was correct, I contemplated the worst.   He is never late and there had been some violent incidents near where he worked.  Of all the thoughts that went through my mind, none involved inheritance issues.  If anything should happen to either of us there is no doubt that the other would inherit retirement benefits, joint holdings, and all out other worldly goods.  There would be no questions about it.

People will say that a marriage license is just a piece of paper.  Yes, and so is a mortgage, a car loan, a deed, a diploma, a medical insurance card, and any number of other pieces of paper that guide and construct our lives.  My train pass is a piece of paper.  SEPTA won’t let ride without one.  I can get insurance for my car because I have a piece of paper saying I (we) own it.  Someone who attends four years of college classes but doesn’t get a diploma may know as much or more than a student who does not graduate but it is hard to prove it.   A newspaper columnist once asked “who are you more likely to loan money to, your daughter’s boyfriend or your son-in-law?”  The extended and strong family ties that a marriage certificate cements are an enormous benefit to a couple.

I thought of these things as I read Lori Schreiber’s column in the Philadelphia Gay News.  Schreiber, an Abington Township commissioner, is writing about the marriage licenses being issued by Montgomery County and the conversations she has had with her partner about applying for one.  She writes:

Since Tuesday, we again had the conversation that none of my straight friends have had. Do we go through a marriage that most likely will need a “re-do” to afford us all of the rights and privileges our government has bestowed on married couples? Do we have the “skim-milk” marriage?

Pennsylvania does not currently recognize same-sex marriage so the licenses, while no doubt a symbolic victory, would not guarantee Ms. Schreiber and her partner the same rights and privileges that Mr. J and I enjoy (and take for granted).  The two of them surely love each other as much as Mr. J and I do.  They probably have the same arguments about the best way to load the dishwasher, the same negotiations about where to go on vacation, the same discussions on the household budget, and the same enjoyment of quiet companionable evenings at home.  But they cannot have the same confidence that one can speak for the other in a medical emergency, or that if the worst happens one can inherit from the other.  They do not have the same legal relationship that my husband I do.    

All Pennsylvanians deserve the same piece of mind that my household enjoys; their pieces of paper should mean the same thing my piece of paper does.  Ms. Schreiber and her partner deserve a marriage in the fullest sense of the word.  

CNN Report on Benghazi

On Tuesday, August 6th, at 10 p.m.,  CNN will air an Erin Burnett Outfront Special Investigation, "The Truth About Benghazi."  From the press release:

Nearly a year after the attack on the U.S. embassy in Benghazi, CNN’s Erin Burnett looks back at the night that took the lives of four Americans including Ambassador Chris Stevens. With special reports from CNN senior international correspondent Arwa Damon and chief national correspondent John King, Burnett revisits the night of the attack, the U.S. military response, the latest on the investigation, and the political firestorm in Washington D.C.. 

Philadelphian on Project Runway

Philadelphian Dom Streater is one of the designers on this season of Project Runway.  The 24 year old lists Philly as her dream place to open a business, and Sassafrass as her favorite restaurant.  Asked why she will win she says "Philly girls always hustle harder."

She's survived the first three episodes and is doing well.  My fingers are crossed.

One Year Anniversary of No Co-Pay for Women's Health

from the inbox:

Today, marks the one-year anniversary of the women’s health provision in the Affordable Care Act that includes birth control with no co-pay.   This anniversary comes just days after the Guttmacher Institute released new data showing the cost-savings associated with publicly-supported birth control. According to Guttmacher, taxpayers save $5.68 for every dollar spent on birth control - almost $2 more in savings than previous studies have shown.

“We know that having a broad range of effective birth control available to women helps them determine if and when they are ready to have a family,” said Melissa Weiler Gerber, executive director of Family Planning Council.  “The freedom to decide when to have children and to safely space pregnancies improves the quality of life for women and families and thus reduces overall health care costs.”

The report points to the success of programs like the federally-funded Title X Family Planning Program which supports reproductive health services for low-income women, men, and teens.  Nationwide, in 2010, Title X clinics provided birth control services that helped prevent roughly 1.2 million unintended pregnancies. According to the study, without Title X services, the nationwide unintended pregnancy rate would be 35% higher. 

Family Planning Council oversees a network of Title X Family Planning provider agencies serving over 125,000 low-income women, men, and teens annually throughout the five-county southeastern Pennsylvania region.  Providers include the area's major teaching hospitals, Planned Parenthood affiliates, federally funded community health centers, and the Philadelphia Department of Health.  

In late June, Family Planning Council was awarded a three-year $15.7 million Title X Family Planning grant to continue providing reproductive health services throughout Bucks, Chester, Delaware, Montgomery and Philadelphia counties. In 2010, Pennsylvania's Title X program investment of $45 million led to an estimated cost savings of $232 million - $5.15 for each Title X dollar spent.  Using these figures, net public savings from Family Planning Council's new $15.7 million grant is likely to be an estimated $81 million.

“There is no denying how beneficial these programs are,” said Weiler Gerber.  “With the preventive health provision in the Affordable Care Act and public funding for birth control, women can focus on providing for their families or planning their future instead of deciding between paying for birth control or putting food on the table.” 

Family Planning Council advances sexual and reproductive health outcomes to promote health equity for individuals, families and communities. For more information about Family Planning Council programs, visit www.familyplanning.org,  @famplancouncil on Twitter , and on Facebook.