Pasadena Planned Parenthood Health Center Gets Major Upgrade –
Georgia B. Ridder House Dedicated
A joyful crowd of donors, supporters and dignitaries gathered for a ribbon-cutting and building dedication ceremony to celebrate the newly renovated Pasadena Health Center and the unveiling of the Georgia B. Ridder House on the morning of Thursday, January 26, 2012.
Planned Parenthood Pasadena & San Gabriel Valley President & CEO Sheri Bonner, along with campaign co-chairs Brooke Larsen Garlock and BJ Kirwan Hanna, snipped the red ribbon to the sound of cheers and applause from the 100+ attendees, who enjoyed guided tours of the new facility, learning about the modernized and enhanced facilities of the Pasadena Health Center and the acquisition of the Georgia B. Ridder House.
This expansion will accommodate 5,000 more patient visits a year and provide programmatic support space for the organization, reducing delays for appointments and broadening the scope of available services to include advanced cervical and breast cancer screenings, as well as testing and treatment of abnormal pap smears and other gynecological problems.
President of the Georgia B. Ridder Foundation, Michael Whalen, maintains that, “Regardless of the amount of government support given or taken away, our community must provide the financial support necessary to sustain and expand Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley’s essential and life-affirming services, including providing a safe place for young couples to learn best practices for safeguarding their sexual health and avoiding unwanted pregnancy.”
The generous $1 million grant from the Georgia B. Ridder Foundation is the largest gift to Planned Parenthood Pasadena and San Gabriel Valley since its founding in 1933. The renovation of the Pasadena Health Center and acquisition of the Georgia B. Ridder House are part of Planned Parenthood’s Building Healthy Communities $4 million campaign. To date, the campaign has raised nearly $3.6 million from more than 150 donors spanning the 24-city service area from Glendale to Glendora.
For the vast majority of patients, Planned Parenthood is their only source of primary health care and 90% of have no private health insurance. Planned Parenthood provides compassionate and affordable services including birth control, life-saving cancer screenings, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment, annual exams, vaccines, and more.