As a part of a company restructure, two of the six Deliberate Parenthood Gulf Coast clinics within the Houston space are set to shut in September.
Working as its personal unbiased nonprofit group, Deliberate Parenthood Gulf Coast — which runs six clinics in Houston and two in Louisiana — will shut its Prevention Park and Southwest well being facilities on Sept. 30, in keeping with the group.
Deliberate Parenthood of Higher Texas will purchase and assume the operations of the 4 different Houston-area well being facilities on Oct. 1. The group, which employs about 170 individuals in Texas, hasn’t made a last willpower on the operations of the 2 remaining Louisiana clinics.
In a press release, Melaney Linton, president and CEO of Deliberate Parenthood Gulf Coast, mentioned the group is navigating the implications of “relentless, coordinated efforts to dismantle entry to sexual and reproductive healthcare throughout our area.”
The restructure additionally comes a number of days after a federal decide in Massachusetts granted a preliminary injunction to Deliberate Parenthood that blocks the U.S. authorities from reducing Medicaid funds to Deliberate Parenthood affiliate organizations that don’t present abortion care, together with Deliberate Parenthood of Higher Texas and the Gulf Coast division. Regardless of that, a 2021 courtroom resolution already barred the Texas associates from the Medicaid program — so even beneath the injunction, Deliberate Parenthood can’t obtain Medicaid funds in Texas.
The father or mother group has been within the throes of authorized battles with the Trump administration as provisions within the president’s key tax invoice intention to chop funding for abortion suppliers.
Deliberate Parenthood stopped offering abortions in Texas in 2022 following the implementation of Senate Invoice 8. Even after that, the Texas associates have been challenged by the state Legislature as Texas aimed to remove the organizations from state-funded well being packages.
“And let’s be clear: having to cut back PPGC’s future footprint in Houston is heartbreaking, infuriating, and the direct results of these sustained political assaults,” Linton mentioned. “However by consolidating our service areas, we’re minimizing affect on sufferers and defending entry for the long-term.”
Deliberate Parenthood Gulf Coast will proceed offering providers for sufferers till October. A spokesperson for the affiliate mentioned the restructure is the results of in depth analysis and planning in a difficult panorama for well being care supply — together with rising prices, low reimbursement charges, workforce shortages and insufficient public well being infrastructure.
The Houston clinics will proceed offering the identical providers to sufferers after the acquisition, like contraception, breast and cervical most cancers screenings, gender-affirming care, HPV vaccinations and STI testing and therapy.
The restructure on the Gulf Coast division was introduced internally this week and can affect most workers. The Texas division is hiring a restricted variety of positions and prioritizing present workers members of the Gulf Coast affiliate for these roles, the spokesperson mentioned.
Employees members of the Gulf Coast division are provided the possibility to use by means of an inside portal for these positions. Deliberate Parenthood of Higher Texas operates 18 different well being facilities throughout the state.
