FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – September 7, 2017
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, (202) 344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org

Senate Calls to Flat Fund Nation’s Family Planning Program 
Statement from Clare Coleman, President & CEO of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA)
 

WASHINGTON, DC – “The Senate funding bill released today falls short of meeting the growing demand for publicly funded family planning care and level funds the Title X family planning program. Title X has been a bedrock public health program that has provided high-quality health care to millions of low-income people for nearly half a century; however, program funding remains woefully inadequate. 

“Communities across the country are clamoring for desperately needed resources to strengthen the public health workforce and address rising health challenges. From our nation’s growing opioid epidemic to rising STD and maternal mortality rates, we are seeing the deleterious effects of turning away from evidence-based policy that safeguard our communities. Now more than ever do we need to invest in federal programs, like Title X, that are key to reversing these troubling trends. 

“Every year, safety-net health care providers are forced to do more with less as costs rise and the need for publicly funded family planning care continues to grow. Flat funding the nation’s family planning program will translate to an even deeper deficit of resources for the family planning safety net and make it harder for millions to seek the education and care they need to stay healthy.

“NFPRHA is calling on Congress to increase funding for family planning as the fiscal year 2018 appropriations process continues.”

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The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) is a membership organization representing providers and administrators committed to helping people get the family planning education and care they need to make the best choices for themselves and their loved ones. NFPRHA works to enhance the ability of thousands of nurse practitioners, doctors, and other health professionals to provide high-quality family planning care through training and advocacy. For more information, visit nationalfamilyplanning.org.