All Families Healthcare opens February 5, 2018!

Love Lives Here is thrilled to support the reopening of All Families Healthcare in Whitefish on Monday, February 5!

As its name states, All Families Healthcare is offering primary care services to all families, and it also provides crucial reproductive care services to women and hormone therapy for transgender individuals in the area.

Because we want their opening to be as smooth and successful as possible, we will not be taking part in any counter-protests that we understand are being planned for Monday when the clinic opens. Here’s why:

- We want new patients to have an easy entrance to the clinic.

- Neighboring businesses are already nervous about the presence of protesters, and we want them to know that protesters who may be disrupting their business are opposing the clinic.

- There is very little space for protesters at or near the site, especially with the snow, and any protesters are bound to block traffic.

- We don’t want police blaming clinic supporters for any incidents. We know they are already on alert for problems that any protesters are causing.

- Having both protesters and counter protesters in the same space is bound to cause tensions which could increase the potential for violence, and we want to avoid that.

So what is Love Lives Here doing?

We would rather focus our energy on providing specific support for All Families Healthcare, so we are in the process of planning an event where we will accept donations for the clinic and where people can sign cards of support that All Families Healthcare can hang in their clinic.

Right now, AFH is asking for donations and for volunteers to help escort patients to their appointments.

If you would like to make a donation, please click here. https://www.allfamilieshealth.org/donate/

If you would like to become an escort -- or make an appointment! -- please email or call the clinic here: info@allfamilieshealth.org, 406.730.8682.

If you feel you need to provide a presence to protest the clinic’s protesters, that is your right. We only ask that you do not bring Love Lives Here signs or wear Love Lives Here buttons.

Rest assured that if the All Families Healthcare staff feels there is a need for a rally to show support for them in the future, Love Lives Here will be the first to step up and help organize it.

Thank you for being willing to support access to complete, compassionate medical care for all people in so many ways!

Official statement from All Families Healthcare

To all of our supporters, thank you so much for your concern during our opening week! Many of you have asked how you can help, and here is our request.

We have been talking to all kinds of knowledgeable folks in the field (National Abortion Federation, Abortion Care Network, directors from other clinics that experience protesting) and the response is very, very clear.  They strongly recommend we not engage in counter protest.  They advise that any face to face engagement with anti-clinic protesters feeds their fire. Also, counter protesting adds to the stress and intimidation of our patients.  And that is the last thing we want. 

So, for those beautiful souls who want to show their support, we ask for letters to the editor, and donations to our patient care fund, and volunteers to drive patients to their appointments. Because at the end of the day, this really is ALL about patient care!

Thank you so much!

Helen Weems and Susan Cahill