FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE – February 26, 2018
Contact: Audrey Sandusky, 202-344-5805, asandusky@nfprha.org  

HHS Action Seeks to Dilute a Cornerstone of the Title X Family Planning Program

Funding Announcement Omits “Contraceptive Services” and De-emphasizes Health Care

WASHINGTON, DC – Last Friday, the Department of Health and Human Services’ Office of Population Affairs (OPA) issued a Funding Opportunity Announcement (FOA) for the Title X family planning program that demonstrates an attempt to weaken the program’s decades-old foundation of providing communities access to high-quality family planning and sexual health care. The announcement, which was released many months behind schedule, fails to mention “contraceptive care,” a benchmark of the program’s public health benefit.

The following is a statement from Clare Coleman, President & CEO of the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA):

“For nearly five decades, the Title X program has been a bedrock, cost-effective health care program serving millions of poor and low-income individuals each year. The latest funding announcement seeks to compromise that excellence by omitting any reference to nationally recognized clinical guidelines. These guidelines outline how to provide patient-centered services related to contraception, pregnancy testing and counseling, achieving pregnancy, infertility, preconception health, and sexually transmitted diseases.

“The administration’s decision to omit the requirement that all Title X-funded programs must follow Providing Quality Family Planning Services is troubling, particularly because OPA partnered with the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention to jointly develop and release the standards in 2014. Ensuring everyone has access to the high-quality contraceptive care they need is critical to helping our nation address its most pressing public health issues. It is contrary to public health to silo contraception from health care in Title X, and deliberately shift toward a model focused more on behavior change.

“The Title X network has always adjusted to different administrations’ priorities and approaches, and this instance will be no different. We are confident that highly qualified Title X providers will remain in Title X, steadfast in their commitment to high-quality, client-centered contraceptive care for all who seek it.”

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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.