The Family Planning Services for the Territory of American Samoa have been provided over the years through the Family Planning Clinic located at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center. The Family Planning Program has been completely funded through grant funds provided by the Office of Population Affairs of the Department of Health and Human Services. This grant application is made for funding opportunity number PA-FPH-22-001 with the hope to get these funds in order to continue to provide family planning services to the people of American Samoa.
The Family Planning Program staff consists of a program director, a program nurse, a health educator/data collector, an outreach health educator/coordinator, and an administrative assistant. The Medical Director is the Chief of the OBGYN Unit at the LBJ Tropical Medical Center. The Authorizing Official is the Chief Executive Officer. The Family Planning Clinic is administratively under the Director of Patient Care Services. Fiscal management of the grant is with the LBJ Finance Office under the direction of the Chief Financial Officer.
The Family Planning Program is committed to offering a broad range of accessible and effective family planning methods and related preventive health services to the men, women, and children in American Samoa. These services will be in accordance with Title X program requirements and QFP. These services include, but are not limited to, natural family planning methods, infertility services, services for adolescents, breast and cervical cancer screening, sexually transmitted disease and HIV prevention education, testing, and referral. The broad range of services does not include abortion as a method of family planning.
The past 6 years have seen a continued decrease in our total births, a decrease in teenaged girls giving birth, and a consistent number of unduplicated clients who utilize this program for their family planning needs. This is a reflection of the work that is done in the clinic as well as the outreach activities that are done in the community.
We want to continue this program because it is a good and effective program for the people of American Samoa. The program staff is committed to the project work plan that is laid out in this application. The administration is very supportive of the program. And the clients who utilize this program need it for their family planning needs.