Planned Parenthood of Michigan will close three clinics by the end of the month and consolidate two others this spring in anticipation of funding cuts by the Trump administration, the organization announced Thursday.
Clinics in Jackson, Petoskey, and Marquette will close permanently on April 30, and the last appointments will occur on April 25, according to a press release. Meanwhile, two health centers in Ann Arbor will be consolidated by May 5. The reorganization will result in a 10% reduction in staff, or 22 positions.
Over the next few months, the organization, which now has 14 clinics across Michigan, plans to expand its Virtual Health Center, offering telehealth services for birth control, medication abortions, and gender affirming care seven days a week, the news release said.
“This evolution of our service model allows us to be flexible in how we weather the storms ahead, while still maintaining our commitment to provide care, no matter what,” Dr. Sarah Wallett, Planned Parenthood of Michigan’s Chief Medical Operating Officer, said in the news release. “By expanding our virtual care services and focusing our resources more effectively, we can continue meeting patients’ needs wherever they are in Michigan, even as the health care environment becomes more restrictive.”
The move follows a massive overhaul of the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services announced last week. The department terminated $11 billion in public health grants, including $379 million in funding for Michigan, and began layoffs that are expected to remove 10,000 employees.
The Health and Human Services Department also oversees Title X funds for family planning services. Title X funds were frozen for nine Planned Parenthood state affiliates, according to a news release from the Planned Parenthood Action Fund on Monday.
While Planned Parenthood of Michigan hasn’t received this notice, they anticipate it “any day now,” spokeswoman Ashlea Phenicie wrote in an email. The anticipated annual funding loss is $5.4 million and could jeopardize access to birth control, treatment and testing for sexually transmitted infections, and other essential care, Phenicie wrote.
The Michigan clinic closures and consolidations are meant to ensure long-term sustainability in anticipation of a funding freeze, Planned Parenthood of Michigan said.
“This week, the Trump administration is moving to freeze Title X family planning funds due to alleged violations of the president’s ‘DEI’ executive orders,” the news release said. “This will deal a devastating financial blow to health care providers like PPMI.”
Restricted access to medication abortions, restricting Medicaid coverage of Planned Parenthood services, and ending the Title X funding program completely are also possible, the news release said.
“The Trump administration and its anti-abortion allies have made clear their intention to defund Planned Parenthood and attack access to sexual and reproductive health care nationwide – so while these attacks are devastating, they are not a surprise,” Paula Thornton Greear, President and CEO of Planned Parentood of Michigan, said in a release. “While implementing difficult decisions is never easy, they are essential to protect our long-term capacity to fulfill our mission and serve Michigan communities for generations to come.”
hmackay@detroitnews.com
