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The tiny and remote island nation of Tuvalu is the first in the Pacific to meet the World Health Organization (WHO) global screening goal for cervical cancer elimination with 76 per cent of eligible women screened.

In 2018 the WHO set a global goal of screening 70 per cent of women aged 30 to 49 for cervical cancer as part of its strategy for elimination of the disease. In 2021Family Planning Australia, the Tuvalu Family Health Association and the Tuvalu Ministry of Health established a national cervical screening and treatment program with funding from the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program.

Leading reproductive and sexual health service Family Planning Australia has appointed Sue Shilbury as Chief Executive Officer.

Starting in the role this week, Sue brings more than 32 years' experience in the NSW and Victorian public health sectors to the role and has held a range of executive leadership roles in hospitals, health and community services.

New videos highlighting consent and contraceptive choice are being launched today in Vanuatu to increase young people's access to sexual and reproductive health information and education.

The video project was supported by the Australian Government through the Australian NGO Cooperation Program and saw Family Planning Australia support Vanuatu Family Health Association's capacity in the digital space so they could reach more young people online with comprehensive sexuality education, known as family life education in many parts of the Pacific.

Medicare-rebated telehealth improves access to medical abortion and is more likely to be used by patients living in regional and remote areas according to new research from Family Planning Australia.

The research study, published in the journal Sexual Health, supports the need for Medicare-rebated telehealth to promote equitable access to medical abortion.

Family Planning NSW has released a new report documenting the rates of 15 to 19-year-olds who gave birth across NSW, showing stark differences between teen birth rates in metropolitan and non-metropolitan areas.

Adolescent Fertility in New South Wales, Australia: 2011–2020 reveals that while the national adolescent fertility rate has halved since 2011, 14 regional, rural and remote local government areas within NSW are showing increases in the numbers of babies born to teenage parents.

To coincide with International Safe Abortion Day, Family Planning NSW has released data on medical abortion provision during the early stages of Australia’s COVID-19 pandemic. The data, extracted from a forthcoming study, demonstrates medical abortion uptake by clients from priority health populations, including young people, people in regional and remote areas, people speaking a language other than English at home and Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander peoples.

Family Planning NSW strongly supports abortion being safe, lawful, accessible and affordable. We work with people every day navigating their pregnancy choices and accordingly, treat abortion as an essential aspect of reproductive healthcare.

Family Planning NSW is launching the Freedom Condom project, which will distribute free condoms and sexual health information to under-30s across the state. After signing up, they will be provided with a Freedom Condom loyalty card which allows them to collect 12 condoms and 4 sachets of water-based lubricant at any of 140 Freedom Condom providers across the state. They will also be taken through fundamental sexual health topics including consent, common sexually transmissible infections and emergency contraception.

Family Planning NSW, Brewarrina Aboriginal Medical Service (BAMS) and Walgett Aboriginal Medical Service Limited (WAMS) are working together to bring reproductive and sexual health services to Aboriginal and Torres Strait Islander women and girls in north-west NSW.

Family Planning NSW has received a 3-year grant of $1,433,806 for its CIRCE project: 'Overcoming Inequity: Increasing Cervical Screening Participation for People with Intellectual Disability'. In partnership with researchers at the University of Sydney, Western Sydney University, UNSW Sydney, Cancer Institute NSW and peak disability organisations, the CIRCE project will identify methods to increase engagement in the National Cervical Screening Program for people with intellectual disability.

Family Planning NSW will move from its Ashfield clinic to a new state-of-the-art centre of reproductive and sexual health excellence in Newington. The move will bring essential research, education, and patient care closer to priority groups around Parramatta.

Extending self-collection options for cervical screening is a "game changer" which will improve access to care and reduce the risk of missed tests as Australia pushes toward cervical cancer elimination, Family Planning NSW Medical Director Dr Deborah Bateson said. We welcome news from the Australian Government that all people eligible for a cervical screening test will have the option of self-collection from 1 July 2022.

Family Planning NSW will screen patients for reproductive coercion after a 2019 pilot program revealed that 127 women had experienced the abuse. Reproductive coercion is increasingly recognised by researchers and advocates as a form of violence and an abuse of a person's right to govern their body without fear or manipulation.

Researchers from Family Planning NSW and the University of Sydney have confirmed that telehealth was well accepted by Family Planning NSW patients and health practitioners, with benefits including improved efficiency and access to services. Patients aged under 19, students, and those who were English-speaking were more likely to access telehealth services compared to face-to-face services.

A new Family Planning NSW report tracks induced abortion across Australia, laying a foundation for health systems to better understand and respond to the medical needs of the community.

Induced Abortion in Australia 2000-2020 updates information last reported in 2013 and is the first report since the decriminalisation of abortion in NSW and QLD and since significant legislative changes in ...

People needing reproductive and sexual health services or pregnancy counselling can access a range of treatment options through telehealth with Medicare rebates re-instated for Family Planning NSW patients in the June 2021 Budget.

Australia must develop a national comprehensive sexuality education (CSE) curriculum and invest in sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) to meet the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development, according to a new report from Family Planning NSW.

Family Planning NSW has welcomed last night’s budget announcement extending telehealth access for patients seeking telehealth appointments for pregnancy counselling and sexual and reproductive healthcare.

The Planet Puberty website provides parents and carers with a range of inclusive and accessible digital resources, including factsheets, videos and useful books. These resources cover everything a child needs to know as they go through puberty, including information about body changes, hygiene, periods, emotions and relationships.

NSW doctors, nurses and midwives would benefit from further training on the National Cervical Screening Program, according to new research from Family Planning NSW.

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