Protecting Access to Quality Health Care

Out in the community, I’m mostly known as the Foundation’s CEO. But I’m first and foremost Nicky’s mom. I always will be.

Before writing this, I asked Nicky’s permission to share more about my story of motherhood and his childhood. It’s not really something I discuss publicly. But the sudden closure of Planned Parenthood Westside and the looming cuts to Santa Cruz Community Health, Salud Para La Gente, Dientes Community Dental Care, and County clinics—our local Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs)—cuts to the quick.

Nicky and I have deep roots at the Planned Parenthood Westside clinic. But our medical histories are deeply personal, private, and sensitive. He responded immediately, “Of course, Mom. I hope it helps.”

A Caring Medical Home

I met my son when he was one and I was 18. His careful eyes, cautious ways, love of cats and things on wheels, his joy running in the wind, and his soft curls are clues of who he is now.

I was in my second year at UC Santa Cruz and volunteering for the Santa Cruz AIDS Project when his birth mom, a fellow volunteer, asked me to watch Nicky while she entered treatment for long-term addiction. I agreed. Suddenly, I was caring for a toddler while living in a dorm, but I had loving, skilled support from campus staff, preschool teachers at London Nelson Center, and the medical team at Planned Parenthood Westside.

I formally adopted Nicky when he was nine. He was clever, thoughtful, sensitive, and loving—but he also needed a lot of medical care: routine checkups, vaccinations, ear infections, bronchitis, migraines, and care for the stress and trauma from transitions in his childhood, what we now call “adverse childhood experiences.” He also needed forms signed so he could be the varsity goalie for soccer and lacrosse.

Nicky needed a medical home. Planned Parenthood Westside was that home.

Morgan Stryker, PA, was his clinician, supported by colleagues Jen Hastings, Gail Michaelis Ow, Salem Magarian, and many others who ensured babies, children, pregnant women, and seniors received the care they deserved. I give profound thanks to all of them.

Policy Changes and Uncertainty

Nicky is just one of the thousands who called Planned Parenthood Westside their medical home. In late July 2025, the clinic suddenly and permanently closed, halting prenatal, mental health, and primary care. Why? H.R.1, the federal tax and spending bill signed July 4, created new financial realities for all local FQHCs.

Local FQHCs face an unprecedented crisis with massive cuts to Medi-Cal. The hardest hit will be our neighbors who already live close to the edge: older adults, immigrants, low-income families, and those struggling with health challenges.

Leaders anticipate 17,000 local residents could lose medical coverage and up to 18,000 could lose dental benefits, with seniors losing Medicare counseling support.

When people lose access to healthcare, the consequences ripple across the community: higher emergency room costs, poorer health outcomes from lost preventive care, and increasing demand for services amid shrinking budgets.

Local Giving Matters

We are at a crossroads. Either we act to fill the most critical gaps—or thousands in our community will lose care. Local giving always matters. In this crisis, it matters even more.

Our county has one of California’s strongest safety nets—but safety nets only work if they’re there when we fall. Without immediate, coordinated philanthropic support in close collaboration with trusted nonprofits, thousands will slip through. Local giving cannot replace government funding, but it can soften the blow, buy time, and keep critical lifelines intact.

Giving to the Greatest Need

In 2021, when our community faced back-to-back disasters, the Community Foundation started the Greatest Needs Fund. It enables immediate impact on the community’s most pressing challenges, giving people a simple, powerful way to respond to urgent needs.

As we move into the new era of H.R.1 and all its impacts, gifts to the Greatest Needs Fund will help provide flexible, rapid-response funding to allow our health centers to adapt to shifting needs and keep staff in place.

A Mother’s Love…for Everyone

Nicky is a thriving adult now. He got there through his own strength, love, and perseverance—but also because of the wrap-around care our community provided. I can’t imagine what I would have done as a young mother without Planned Parenthood Westside. I want that care for everyone.

Header photo: Kevin Painchaud/Lookout