Veronica Jones

The COO Who's Streamlining Access to Reproductive Care

When Veronica Jones took the helm at the National Abortion Hotline in 2019, the average wait time for callers was 45 minutes before they could reach someone to get information and assistance accessing abortion care. Some waited up to three hours. Jones conducted a comprehensive assessment of the Hotline and, using a six sigma methodology, developed a plan to overhaul operations and improve service delivery. By July 2020, the Hotline had an average wait time of less than five minutes and had increased the call answer rate from 41.5% to 97.4%. In the last year, she led her team through one of the most challenging times in the Hotline’s history as it navigated unprecedented increases in patient need, dwindling donations, and continuing attacks on abortion access. Despite these obstacles, in 2024 the National Abortion Hotline helped more than 111,400 people cover the cost of their abortion care and another 2,300 with support for travel expenses.

By Audrey Goodson Kingo