Watch CBS News

Planned Parenthood of Michigan closing 3 clinics, reducing 10% of its workforce

Planned Parenthood of Michigan will permanently close three health centers and reduce staffing. The three impacted clinics are slated to close at the end of the month.

Citing financial challenges, and claiming the Trump administration is moving to freeze Title X family planning funds, the organization said it would work to consolidate its "physical footprint" at the same time as it works to bolster virtual alternatives. Administrators said they hope the moves will increase appointment availability statewide.

The group says it's reducing its staffing by 10%. Those cuts will impact clinical, programmatic and administrative teams. The head of the organization said the moves were necessary "to adapt quickly in a challenging political landscape."

"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 Parenthood of Michigan, said.

Planned Parenthood will also consolidate two of its health centers in Ann Arbor by May 5, and will expand its Virtual Health Center to offer telehealth appointments seven days per week. 

The organization's chief medical operating officer, Dr. Sarah Wallett, said Planned Parenthood of Michigan remains committed "to provide care, no matter what," but noted that reproductive health care providers have "faced wave after wave of challenges, from the first Trump administration to the historic overturn of Roe v. Wade."

Among the challenges Wallett alluded to, earlier this week, the U.S. Supreme Court heard arguments over South Carolina's attempt to boot Planned Parenthood from its Medicaid program. The court, currently under a 6-3 conservative majority, appeared divided over whether Medicaid recipients can sue under a federal civil rights law to enforce the provision.

Michigan is not the only state that has seen Planned Parenthood clinic closures in recent months. Earlier this year, the Illinois branch announced the closure of four clinics, including one in Chicago.

CBS Detroit has reached out to the White House for comment.

View CBS News In
CBS News App Open
Chrome Safari Continue