Supporting Women with Unexpected Pregnancies: Lori’s Vision

SPEAKER 02 : 0:00

This is Liz Renzel with Crawford Media Group, and today I’m joined by Ed Henderson, one of our commentators here at the station, and we’re talking with Lori Ann Satriano-Arfsten, the Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Alternatives Pregnancy Center. Welcome to our program, Lori. Thank you so much for having me.

SPEAKER 03 : 0:20

Lori, tell us a little bit about Alternatives and what they do. Yeah, thank you so much for asking.

SPEAKER 04 : 0:27

We’re a nonprofit. We’ve been in the Denver area since 1982. And our mission is really to help women in an unexpected pregnancy have meaningful alternatives to abortion and to be able to find early access to health care and tangible resources that can help her through her pregnancy and beyond.

SPEAKER 02 : 0:59

And what kind of services does that entail? You have quite a few, I noticed, on your website.

SPEAKER 04 : 1:05

We do. We do. We are so fortunate to be able to offer so many services. So when someone comes to one of our four clinics, there’s four in the Denver metro area, they are greeted by someone from our medical team, our counseling team. So we have a team of nurses and sonographers and counselors and people who can do options consultations. So they come in, we provide a really warm and professional space for them to be able to process what’s going on in their life. So often they’re facing a multitude of barriers that might be financial, might have to do with childcare, might have to do with a volatile relationship with the father of the baby. and a lot of pressures coming from family and friends about what they should be doing. And so we’re trying to provide that space, that unique space where they can process what is going on for them, what is going on in their heart, what would they like to see for themselves, for their future, for their child, and then connect them to as many resources as possible. We’re able to provide that counseling space and then also access to early ultrasound, which is critical. People aren’t getting ultrasounds in their first trimester, and they need to. We need to be able to help them date their pregnancy and make sure that baby is located in the uterus. And so that is pivotal. So we can provide that. And then we’re also able to provide Mentoring support. We have a 24-hour helpline. We have Uber health rides for people who can’t get to our clinics through their own transportation. And then case management so that we can connect them to other agencies and supports in the city that can help them throughout the pregnancy and then later on after they have their baby.

SPEAKER 02 : 3:19

Yeah, you know, I noticed that it’s often that the men are kind of on the sidelines, and it sounds like through your counseling mentoring programs that you include them and you help them along as well.

SPEAKER 04 : 3:34

We do, actually. We include them from the beginning. So when they come in, we also offer them the ability to talk to one of our male counseling interns because they are also going through counseling. some of the same fears and stressors that the woman is experiencing. You know, maybe they’re in school or they don’t have a job and they don’t have any family support and don’t really know what they’re going to do. So we’re providing that space for them. And then the ongoing mentoring through a volunteer who is trained that can help kind of guide and support them throughout the pregnancy and then throughout the first year of the baby’s life. And we also provide services for both men and women who have been through an abortion and lived through a pregnancy termination and are experiencing all sorts of mixed emotions from that. So both men and women are offered that as well. And everything is free and confidential, so no one has to pay anything when they’re here.

SPEAKER 02 : 4:43

That sounds like such a well-rounded program. Ed, you had a question.

SPEAKER 01 : 4:49

Yeah, Lori, what inspired you to become part of the Alternatives organization?

SPEAKER 04 : 4:55

Oh, gosh, I’m a long-timer. I started actually as a donor when I was in my early 20s. I wasn’t contributing very much, but… I was giving a little bit, and then I got more interested, and I decided, okay, maybe I could be a volunteer, and I went through volunteer training, and I helped with clients and patients many decades ago. And then I served on the board for a while and eventually came through our youth education program I was teaching in Jefferson County. And really, my passion… around this just had to do with teens. That’s where it all began. Teens and young adults and feeling like we could do a better job of supporting people who are finding themselves in this situation and what could I do to help and be more part of a positive solution. And so that’s what really inspired me to get involved.

SPEAKER 01 : 6:04

That’s a great story, Lori. Hey, can you talk a little bit about the political climate here in Colorado and how that affects the strategies and operations of alternatives?

SPEAKER 04 : 6:15

Yeah. We’ve, you know, there’s probably, but I would say a smaller group in the General Assembly that is not really supportive of the work that we’re doing. And I think they… They have not necessarily come to see what we do, though we’ve invited them several times. But there’s a belief by some of the legislators that we’re kind of providing a bait and switch. In other words, we’re, you know, not really telling people that we aren’t abortion providers. And then they come in and then we say, oh, surprise, we’re not an abortion provider. But that is actually not at all what we do. We do the opposite. We try to make sure on the front end people understand that is not what we do. We will discuss everything that we can related to abortion so that they have good education and awareness about decision that they’re making. But we are very upfront about the fact that we don’t do that. But instead, this is what we do. We provide these holistic services. And so A lot of the climate has been pressure on us related to advertising and our social media and things like that. But we have just a high ethics related to what we are advertising and what we are telling our community that we do. And so they are just misinformed, and it’s too bad because we are just such an important resource in the Denver area. And so… I wish that they would take the steps to come and visit one of the clinics and see what it is we actually do so that they would understand this is a huge need for people. And especially with health care the way it is right now, with some of the lack of access for people, it’s even more important. So those are some of the situations with the legislators. So we’re hoping. We’re hoping for change in the future and that they’ll understand us a little more.

SPEAKER 02 : 8:31

Laura, you mentioned earlier that the services you offer are completely free. Yes. And so how are you funded? With the several clinics that you have and all the equipment and the staff, that’s quite a bill. So how are you getting funded?

SPEAKER 04 : 8:49

Yeah, you’re right. It is quite a bill. Yeah, we have a clinic in Aurora and Arvada. downtown Denver, and Englewood. And so at all those clinics, we have, like I said, nurses, sonographers, counselors, of course, our administrative team. And really, we’re funded by the community and for the community. So it’s individuals for the most part. So over 60% of our funding comes just from individuals who are passionate about the work that we’re doing and who care about the dignity of of people who are born and people who are pre-born. And so that’s the bulk of the giving. And then we also have some churches in the area that give to us, some businesses, foundations, some workplace giving and things like that. But it’s primarily individual support. Yeah. Yeah.

SPEAKER 01 : 9:51

Lori, let me ask you, upcoming a week from today is the March of Life. What role will you and Alternatives play in support of that event?

SPEAKER 04 : 10:01

Yeah, we’re very excited about it because we will have a table, an information table there right in front of the Capitol where anybody can come, ask us questions. They can get our brochures. that will list all the services and support we have plus ways that they could donate. We also will have a way for them to enter a drawing for tickets to Toby Mac because we’re sponsoring that concert on May 7th. So they’ll be able to come to that. And then we are opening our downtown clinic that day for tour right after. So if people want to come, They can see up close and personal what it is that we do. And then we have Chick-fil-A for them on their way out. And so we’re excited. Yeah, we’re excited to be part of the event. And just to bring attention in the state to this issue is so important because we have women in need and we have children at risk. and women at risk. So we need to be able to highlight that. So the Colorado March for Life will be a great time to do that.

SPEAKER 02 : 11:16

We’re visiting with Lori Ann Satriano-Arvston, the Director of Communications and Community Engagement at Alternatives Pregnancy Center right here in the Denver metro area. We’ve been talking about the services they offer and how it’s actually free for all those who would like to use their services or to find out more. Lori, what takeaway would you leave our listeners with today and tell our listeners how they can find out more or… get involved?

SPEAKER 04 : 11:47

Yeah, I think the takeaway is for people to stay engaged with this issue of unplanned pregnancy. We have a phrase here that we say unplanned pregnancy is part of our shared humanity, and so this is a part of all of us. It’s not just happening to somebody out there. It’s happening in our communities, in our families, and Just because you can’t see what’s going on related to an unborn person, it doesn’t mean that their lives aren’t at risk and their parents’ lives aren’t at risk. So I would say just to stay engaged with that, even though it becomes politicized, it’s really about the humanity of people and the way that they can connect with us is important. Primarily one way, big way, is through our website, youhavealternatives.org. And if you go there, you can see more about our services. You can also click to get involved and find out more about our events and how to give. And also on our social media. We’re on Instagram and we are on Facebook and we’re on LinkedIn and YouTube. And, yeah, we would love for people to follow us there and connect with us, connect at our events, and come see us at the March for Life and come to the clinics.

SPEAKER 02 : 13:17

Well, Lori, it was a pleasure talking to you. Thank you for enlightening us on this service. Hopefully our listeners will have jotted it down. And again, that’s Alternatives Pregnancy Center, and their website is youhavealternatives.org. Thank you so much, Ed, for joining us, and Lori, for taking the time.

SPEAKER 03 : 13:38

Yes, thank you so much for having me on. I appreciate it.

SPEAKER 01 : 13:42

Lori, my wife and I are going to be making a donation to your organization, and I want to encourage our listeners, if they feel so inclined, to join us in that. So thank you for your time today.

SPEAKER 04 : 13:53

Thank you so much.