Spotlight: Leslie Bailey

by HOLLY VASIC

Planned Parenthood Utah understands the unique sexual health needs of the state. Last year, in order to move forward the sexual education discussion in the Beehive State, Planned Parenthood’s Action Council launched a new campaign—the Birds and the Beehive. Maybe you’ve seen the coasters at bars in Salt Lake City! As a way to get to know the organization a little better, we sat down with Leslie Bailey, the current CFO of Planned Parenthood Utah.

Leslie Bailey began working at Planned Parenthood Utah 16 years ago. Since 2007, she has served as chief financial officer and found a passion for the nonprofit healthcare organization. A large part of Bailey’s job is writing and applying for grants. In order to receive funding, Planned Parenthood must follow national and state laws. Finding ways to do that, while still providing services, often takes some out-of-the-box thinking. When discussing the recent political climate, and its impact on funding, Bailey indicated that she struggles with the current administration’s funding position and what she referred to as “stigma in the news.”

One of the programs Bailey is most excited about is online counseling services. “The state of Utah has a 72-hour waiting period,” says Bailey. When a patient considers having an abortion, they must first receive counseling with the provider and wait a designated time period before the procedure. She continued, “That creates a lot of barriers within rural areas of the state.” Speaking of the challenges of getting to the Planned Parenthood location she explained, “It is hard to get up here. It is not cheap to get up here.” This puts a lot of increased pressure on women with limited access. Online counseling sessions have helped alleviate this burden. The online counselling service are appreciated by patients in desperate situations. Of the services, she said patients are thankful they don’t have to make the long and costly commute to Salt Lake City. Considering Planned Parenthood’s wide reach, the online service is able to help many women.

Although much of Bailey’s work is behind the scenes, her work remains invaluable to Planned Parenthood Utah’s ability to keep their doors open. To date, she describes each of her life experiences as contributing to the compassion she has for the people who need the services of Planned Parenthood.

Go here for more information on the Birds and the Beehive.