A recent order from a Missouri judge halted abortions in the state, appointments were canceled, and advocates sprung into action overnight to mitigate the impacts. Next Door, Kansas clinics expanded appointment availabilities to prepare for an influx of patients seeking reproductive care. Kansans and the Kansas Supreme Court have affirmed the right to bodily autonomy and therefore the right to have an abortion, positioning the state as a regional care provider, the majority of abortions in Kansas are four out of state residents, mostly Texas, Arkansas and Oklahoma, so providing regional care is nothing new. But what could even more people from out of state seeking care. Mean for a state that's already stretched thin. Here with me today is Katherine Boyd, the new CEO and President of the Wichita based clinic trust women. Boyd previously led Planned Parenthood Utah and worked in roles at Planned Parenthood of the heartland, which serves Iowa, Nebraska, and she so she oversaw an independent clinics health services, which included providing telehealth medication abortions in 16 states. Kathryn, thank you so much for joining me today.
Thank you for having me
So let's begin with the ban in Missouri. What went through your mind when you first heard the news and then days following, how did your outlook on the ban develop?
I think when I first heard the news, it was mixed reaction for me, understanding that lawmakers in Missouri, since their voters made the decision and voted on that referendum to provide Missourians with full spectrum reproductive health care, including abortion. They have been, I think, chomping at the bit, a little bit, you know, so to speak, to try to reverse that this, this is a case of lawmakers who, despite what Missourians voted for, have decided that they're going to just throw that out the window and do what they want anyway. So I think my first reaction was like, Okay, here we go again. You know, this is we we've seen this happening in various states across the country. And so, you know, Missouri is the next on that list who have decided that they're just going to do what they want anyway. And so with that, you know, you there are emotions like anger and frustration and and then worry, because there are so many people that were having, having the health centers in Missouri provided care to people who would not have to travel as far, you know there, there could be patients who are local to those health centers, but then others who may need to come and now their ability to obtain that care is compounded by travel. So folks are now having to plan out much more when they need health care, that includes maybe a full day or even two to be able to go somewhere to be seen. And so in thinking about that, there's so much empathy for patients and trying to figure out a way to help them access care with as little impact as possible in their lives. You know, like trying to be there for those patients and improve access in Kansas so that we can help be the stop gap.
Yeah, you touched on this a little bit, but that thinking of, here we go again, I can't imagine what it's like. I think for care providers, along with patients who have been confronted with that feeling over and over again, is that something that you guys are feeling in your in your clinic,
I think, I think for our staff and our organization, there is a sense of that, like, not surprised, you know, expected that something was going to happen, especially considering that when, when the different organizations in Missouri had to file a lawsuit and take it In front of a judge to have the the ban overturned, and only parts of it were were granted to them. I think that was the first signal that this is likely going to turn pretty ugly pretty quickly,
and this is your first month on the job, and you mentioned that this was not a surprise. So coming into starting in this role with trust women, how did you factor this in
or for Missouri? You know it's coming from Utah. There's a ban in Utah as well. And when. I took this role, that ban was actively being challenged in the courts, and, and there's a there's a preliminary injunction here, so I'm still in Utah right now. That's when I stay here. So even from day one, going into that role and and knowing that there's this court case for a ban, there was a clinic ban. They tried to enact those things don't deter me from wanting to provide support and leadership to these organizations. So thinking about trust women and being a Kansas, it's a very similar feeling, you know, understanding that they had a referendum, abortion is protected in Kansas, but there's always that that but, and we've seen that now happen in Missouri. So going from, you know, one challenging state to another is not new for me. I before going to Utah, I was in Georgia, and I was in Georgia when they passed their six week, like cardiac activity ban so and working with my team there to figure out how we can still provide care. And we did it successfully, and they still are. So while coming to Kansas is, you know, again, there's that protection. There's still like the sea of red around the state of Kansas and and the challenge that's happening now in Missouri, I think, is one of the test cases that lawmakers are working through to see if they have the power to overturn what the people want, which is, it's very frustrating because the people in Missouri, the voters in Missouri, made their voices loud and clear, and that's just being ignored now and again. It's it feels like it's a test case for for more challenges like this, and we have to be ready.
You've worked in this field for years. Were these considerations that you had before Roe was overturned?
I think before Roe was overturned that we thought about very similar problems or or behaviors from lawmakers in various states and and, you know, many of the states that I worked in, including Georgia and Tennessee, had were not friendly, obviously. And even before row time after time after time in sessions, we would see bad bills being introduced, and it was a case of, you know, following that bill to see if it gets out of committee, if it hits the House floor, if it's approved. Because even though Roe was still valid and the right to abortion was, I guess, federally protected in those years, states still tried, you know, they they created more barriers, like health centers had to be an ASC Ambulatory Surgical Center, which is a huge lift, and one that many providers don't Have the the funding or the ability to do there, would we call them trap laws, which are targeted, right? Okay, so targeted at reproductive and abortion providers. So there I can't, I can't even begin to talk about the number of times, like in Iowa, telehealth was they were their first state to approve tele telemedicine for abortion care back in like, 2006 2007 and the state immediately was like, oh, no, we don't like this. Let's ban it. And so Planned Parenthood took them to court. They won. It's still protected. So it's, it's cases like that that even before Roe, some states were were already attacking a person's right to choose,
going back to the Missouri ban, what have been the on the ground impacts at trust women? Does that look like expanded appointment availabilities? Does it look like, you know, providers having to take on more more patients?
Oh, for definitely, for sure. You know, we, I think probably for my first day on the job. You know, there was already the rumbling in Missouri, and, you know, one of the first things that I talked about with the leadership team was, how are we going to expand access? Because more people are coming. I mean, already, 70% of our patients are coming from out of state. They're traveling from Texas, Oklahoma, Arkansas, you know, all of those red states around us, and knowing full well that Missouri could. Could create another barrier for for people that need this care. We we've already been discussing that, you know, how do we expand hours? How can we get more physician time? You know, all, all of those factors come into play.
So about a year ago, the trust women clinic temporarily closed as turmoil and leadership led to mass resignations. That's a bit of a tough period to follow. How are you keeping the memory of those challenges in mind as you shape your plans for the organization?
Yes, so you know, the the time when all of that was happening, like you said, about a year ago, was very, very hard for this organization. It was very challenging. And I think that there were a lot of questions that were left hanging in the air, when all of that happened so with with me coming in and providing leadership. My first goal is to listen and to hear about the history and get perspectives from the people that are still with trust women and still providing care. So the physicians, the staff and some of the leadership team that are here, coming in after a culture shock like that can be really challenging for any leader, and so making sure that I come in with that in the back of my mind, I don't want that trauma to like dictate what we do going forward. But it definitely is like a side dish. We have to remember that, you know, the stuffing is over here on the side next to the turkey. And, you know, we want to concentrate on the turkey, but also remember the past and moving forward, I'm hopeful, you know, I want to create a culture of transparency and collaboration within the organization. And I think already, even after a month, we're starting to see some of that happen, building trust and and again, one of my main focuses in these first weeks has been to just really listen and to hear the experiences from people and try to reassure them that we are now in a safe place. We're moving forward. And, you know, I want to lead the organization from a place of compassion and a place of trust.
You mentioned the stuffing and the turkey. What is your turkey?
The turkey is us. It's, you know, it's, it's the organization, and you know, the future and thinking about, you know, how do we carve it so that we're we're taking care of all of our staff and employees, but we're also taking care of patients and providing access to care.
Tell me about how all that fits in with, you know, your long term goals and your position.
So, you know, long term goals is obviously focusing on making sure we have financial stability in the years coming, making sure that we're providing the best care possible to the folks who need it and want it and so not we don't turn anyone away for an inability to pay, we will help our patients get to us with some navigation tools. And, you know, really focusing on continuing to provide, you know, the best health care that is around and really moving trust women into a place of that's the first place you think of if you need some birth control, if you need to have STI testing. You know we're looking at adding services to our to our repertoire, and really, really focusing on the needs of our community.
You mentioned financial stability. Is that something? Is that a major concern at the moment?
Well, I think it's a concern for any organization, you know, particularly, particularly when I think about the federal funding cuts that have already happened and that will likely continue to happen. You know, unfortunately, Planned Parenthood has been the target of the administration. We'll just call it that. And and that, you know Planned Parenthood is, is our sister, you know, our family. We are all in this together. And so when that happens, philanthropy tends to kind of take a step back and think about where they want to spend their money, where they want to send their money. And so this organization, just like many others, whether it be an independent abortion provider. Or Planned Parenthood, we do rely on fundraising and develop, you know, development and so making sure that we have a robust program to help fill in any gaps that appear is vitally important.
Yeah, I was going to ask with such a focus and such a need for access that very basic, like foundation of what you do and what you provide. You know, mentioning that philanthropy and maybe advocacy take a back seat. What is the impact of that? What is the impact of or the toll of just having to focus on the most basic thing, what gets kind of left behind? Well, I don't think
anything gets left behind. I think that there are definitely priority focus areas, which right now, considering that what has just happened in Missouri, it's to expand access. So it's not that advocacy or fundraising and development are taking a back seat. It's, it's, it's about priority. And I would say that fundraising is also a very high priority, and so making sure that our donors, and you know whether it's an institutional or a foundation that is donating, or, you know, someone who sends $10 a month, making sure that our message out to them is that we're still here. We're still providing care. We we need to expand, and we need support. You know, that's really what it comes down to. And I think that that is a similar story of many, many providers throughout the country, regardless of what state they're in,
with a few weeks behind you in in your new role, and you know, many, many weeks ahead, along with the ban in Missouri being a very uncertain situation, How are you keeping an eye on it? How are you what are you looking for in the coming weeks, in order to assess how you need to respond to the Missouri band as you as this kind of continues to unfold.
Well, I so the the band that is that is in place right now in Missouri that does not allow for any type of abortion care. I My fear is that it's not short lived, that it's not just gonna, you know, be reversed in a few weeks or a few months. I think that this is going to take a very long time to work its way out. I couldn't begin to even think about what an outcome might look like at this point, at least in my mind, it's 5050, if this ban remains in place. So for us, we, we haven't been reactionary from, really, from day one again, like conversations about how to improve access and how to make sure that we are here for patients. And so we have our, you know, we've already added appointments. We these things that you do to prepare. It's not in the the 11th Hour, the preparation started the minute I walked in the door. So moving forward, having conversations with our physicians about adding hours, maybe expanding hours, instead of an eight hour day, we can have a 10 hour day, you know, but also working with the staff there, you know, finding the balance is what I think I'm getting at. So how can we add capacity and make sure that our staff are still balancing between work and home? Um, we just had a call last night to discuss all of this. And you know, how do we talking about even into quarter four in the beginning of 2026 so, you know, thinking about all of those things well in advance, I think, has helped us be prepared for this moment. So, you know, having that navigation program up and going to help patients actually get to us. We launched that two weeks ago. You know, all of these pieces that we have to be ready to pivot if one of the pieces falls. So in Missouri, is one of the pieces that fell, and so we made a pivot, and we've added capacity.
Catherine, thank you so much again for being here with me today. It was nice to talk to you. Yes, thank you so much. You.
