Biden Takes Important Step To Restore Title X Program Access

Phoenix AZ

31 January, 2021

3:09 PM

Description

Press release from Arizona Family Health Partnership: Jan. 31, 2021 President Joseph Biden took an important step toward restoring access to the Title X program for sexual and reproductive healthcare services to thousands of people across the country, according to Arizona Family Health Partnership (AFHP) CEO Bré Thomas. AFHP is Arizona's designated Title X agency. The federal Title X Family Planning Program was created in 1970 to provide comprehensive and confidential family planning services and preventive sexual health services. Services include contraception counseling and provision, breast and cervical cancer screenings, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections (STI) and pregnancy diagnosis and counseling. "We applaud President Biden's efforts to rebuild the Title X network. This essential work must move forward quickly to strengthen the public's health.The Title X provider network delivers vital sexual and reproductive healthcare — such as STI screening and treatment, cancer screening, and contraceptive care and counseling — to communities that are most in need," Thomas said. "Title X-supported providers are considered places of trust and safety for many people who rely on their provider as their sole source of healthcare and are often the point of entry into care in medically underserved areas." Clare Coleman, President of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association, said that the Title X rule President Biden's executive order is seeking to change "has been the most upending policy change in the program's history. It has left more than 1.5 million people without access to Title X-funded care. Today's action marks the beginning of the work needed to restore access to care through a high-quality, proven network of health centers, especially in the 33 states that lost some or all of their Title X providers due to the rule." The consequences have been devastating to the Title X system nationwide. Roughly one in every four Title X providers has withdrawn from the program since the new regulations were implemented, jeopardizing access to time sensitive care for 1.6 million patients nationwide. A recent U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) report estimates that the number of annual Title X patients served in 2019 fell by 21%. Coleman said that "family planning providers and their patients need urgent relief from the Title X rule. With each day that these harmful restrictions are in place, more people are at risk of losing access to care from providers they trust. In just the first four months of the rule being in effect, and prior to Covid-19, health centers funded by Title X saw 800,000 fewer patients. Federally funded Title X services are available at 52 AFHP network health centers in 11 counties and Southern Utah, providing quality comprehensive sexual and reproductive health services as well as related preventive services for free or at low cost for more than 26,000 low-income women, men and teens annually. Title X funds cannot be used for abortions. Title X services are free for clients with household incomes below 100% of the Federal Poverty Level (FPL). Costs are reduced, based on a sliding scale, for clients with household incomes up to 250% of the FPL, although clients are never turned away due to an inability to pay. In 2019 in Arizona, Title X-provided services prevented an estimated 4,150 unintended pregnancies, which would have resulted in 1,950 unplanned births, 1,400 abortions and 790 miscarriages. Services also prevented an estimated 570 chlamydia and gonorrhea infections. During the 12-month period, more than 26,000 individuals received reproductive and sexual healthcare services. Health center services include reproductive lifespan discussions, a broad range of contraceptive methods; health screenings for STI's and treatment; pregnancy testing, counseling and resources; pelvic exams including Pap smears; breast exams; basic infertility screening; and emergency contraception. For more information about the Arizona Family Health Partnership, visit www.arizonafamilyhealth.org. Arizona Family Health Partnership is a 46-year-old private, nonprofit organization dedicated to making reproductive healthcare and education available and accessible to all individuals in Arizona, particularly those lacking resources and traditionally reluctant to seek health care. With greater access to the services we provide, Arizona families will be healthier and stronger for generations to come. Arizona Family Health Partnership helps coordinate the services funded by the federal Title X program and run by partner agencies. For evidence-based, unbiased information about contraceptive options, visit www.SexFYI.org. AFHP also is implementing the University of Michigan's Adolescent Champion Model in Arizona. To find resources, best practice models, events and more for youth-serving professionals in Maricopa County, visit www.collectiveresourcehub.org. For more information about Arizona Family Health Partnership and Title X, visit www.arizonafamilyhealth.org. This press release was produced by Arizona Family Health Partnership. The views expressed here are the author's own.