Planned Parenthood of Illinois closing 4 health centers, including one in Chicago
CHICAGO - Planned Parenthood of Illinois (PPIL) is closing four health centers across the state, including one in Chicago.
What we know:
The locations that are closing include the Ottawa, Decatur and Bloomington health centers located in central Illinois, along with one center in Chicago's Englewood neighborhood.
The centers that are closing do not provide procedural abortion care.
Due to the closures, PPIL plans to expand appointment availability and access at the health centers in Champaign, Peoria, Springfield and Roseland.
Additionally, it plans to expand virtual options through telehealth and the PPDirect app.
PPIL will also downsize its administrative staff to match the changes in the health centers.
Staff displaced by the closures will be offered positions at other locations or transitioned to telehealth, when possible.
The backstory:
PPIL said it is "facing a financial shortfall" due to rising health care costs for in-person care, an increase in patients needing financial assistance, uncertainties under the new administration and the need to create a sustainable future due to Roe v Wade being overturned.
Because of the increase in patients, along with low reimbursement rates from insurers and rising health care costs, PPIL said it needed to realign its health centers and staffing.
What they're saying:
Interim President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois Tonya Tucker released the following statement:
"Patient care is and will always be our number one priority. We made plans for the patient surge. However, rising care costs and lower reimbursement rates from insurers is jeopardizing PPIL’s sustainability. Unfortunately, this is the reality many other Planned Parenthood affiliates are facing in the rapidly evolving health care environment. We are making the difficult decisions today so we can continue providing care tomorrow and well into the future."
By the numbers:
According to PPIL, Illinois has seen the highest volume of abortion patients coming from other states.
Since Roe v Wade was overturned in 2022, PPIL said it has seen a 47% increase in overall abortion care patients, with out-of-state patients traveling from more than 40 states.
Out-of-state patients make up nearly 25% of overall abortion patients.
What's next:
Appointments at the four closing health centers will end in March.
Beginning in February, PPIL will offer medication abortion through the PPDirect app.
At this time, patients can access birth control, UTI treatment, at-home STI testing and emergency contraception through the app.
By adding medication abortion to the list of services, PPIL says it will expand access, reduce wait times at health centers and provide care for patients.
Those using the PPDirect app will fill out a questionnaire, which will be reviewed by a PPIL medical professional.
The medication abortion pills will then either be mailed to the patients, or the provider will work with the patients to schedule an appointment at a health care center.
For more information, visit ppil.org.
The Source: Information from this article was provided by Planned Parenthood of Illinois.