Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin to close four clinics due to state funding cuts

[Redfairen]

Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin will close four clinics across the state, including the one located in Johnson Creek, the organization announced Monday. The clinic, which has operated in the village since 1999, will end services on July 19. The other affected clinics - in Shawano, Chippewa Falls and Beaver Dam - will close beginning in April.

Nicole Safar, public policy director for Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin, blamed the closures on a lack of funding after the state Legislature eliminated support for Planned Parenthood from its 2011-13 biennial budget.

Under that bill, any organization that provided abortions or referrals for abortion services was blocked from participating in the state's family planning program. That resulted in a loss of Title V grant funding, a mixture of federal and state money, to several rural clinics across the state, including the Jefferson County location.

"We basically lost $1 million that we had gotten to provide basic prevention family planning services in nine clinics across the state," said Safar. "And unfortunately after a year of trying to fill the gap, we were unable to make up for that loss. We just were unable to continue doing it at four health centers, and Johnson Creek was one of those centers."

http://www.dailyunion.com/main.asp?SectionID=36&SubSectionID=110&ArticleID=13833

[uppityperson]

1. Yup, that'll sure help prevent the need for abortions.