On April 16, 330 supporters of Planned Parenthood CA Central Coast (PPCCC) gathered in the Rotunda at the Hilton S.B. Beachfront Resort for its annual Birds and Bees Bash. The event grossed $600,000 to support the mission of improving our communities’ sexual and reproductive health outcomes through health care, education, and advocacy. MICOP (Mixteco Indígena Community Organizing Project) received the inaugural Community Partner Award.
The evening began on the Rotunda Balcony, where guests enjoyed cocktails, hors d’oeuvres, stunning ocean and mountain views, and the joy of gathering in person once again. For dinner, guests were seated in the Rotunda, where PPCCC President and CEO Jenna Tosh welcomed them and then turned to the need to eliminate systemic inequities that cause poor health outcomes and racial health disparities in our communities.
She pointed to the devastating impact of COVID on the Latinx community here and how communities of color and Indigenous communities have long suffered disparate outcomes in sexual and reproductive healthcare, including being disproportionately impacted by sexually transmitted infections; having higher rates of unintended pregnancy; a greater likelihood of dying from pregnancy-related causes; and, for Black people, higher incidences and poorer outcomes for certain cancers.