In a climate of continued political pressure and threats for defunding, Planned Parenthood is preparing to close its Evansville location.
Patients will be able to access care at the state’s 10 other locations, as well as through expanded telehealth options. The last day for patient appointments will be Sept. 4.
Closing the Evansville clinic is a proactive step to be able to streamline resources to continue care across the state, said Rebecca Gibron, the president and CEO at Planned Parenthood Great Northwest, Hawai'i, Alaska, Indiana, Kentucky (PPGNHAIK).
“We are fiercely, fiercely committed to our patients and to our presence in the state of Indiana,” Gibron told LPM News. “We are working very hard to ensure that we meet the moment of these political attacks, these defunding attacks, because nothing is more important to us than our patients and the care that they need.”
The Evansville center served close to 800 patients last year. Statewide, Planned Parenthood sees around 25,000 patients annually, accounting for more than 34,000 visits.
The centers provide services including testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, cancer screenings, birth control, gender affirming care and wellness visits. Planned Parenthood does not provide abortions in Indiana.
Gibron said there are other options for patients in the Evansville area. Planned Parenthood offers telehealth care for some services that don’t require an in person visit. And the organization will refer patients to nearby Planned Parenthood centers and other local providers, if they need to be seen in a clinical setting.
“We're working very hard to ensure that there are no gaps in care for our patients during this transition,” she said.
Rachel Brown, the area services director for Indiana, Kentucky and Idaho for PPGNHAIK, said it’s too early to know how the change might impact patient loads at other locations, like New Albany.
That’s one of three closest health centers to Evansville, along with Bloomington and Louisville. They’re all around two hours away.
Planned Parenthood data shows New Albany sees close to 2,500 patients a year — three times Evansville’s volume.
Statewide, more than half of Indiana Planned Parenthood patients are at or below the federal poverty level, 40% identify as BIPOC and more than a third use Medicaid, according to the organization.
In March, Planned Parenthood expanded a service that guides telehealth patients through determining whether they need to be seen in-person, with the opening of its Virtual Health Center in Indiana.
Brown said the response to telehealth has been huge.
“If we make appointments available, they fill,” she said. They are recruiting to add providers and support staff.
Providers respond to defunding threats
Gibron, the PPGNHAIK president, said the decision to close Evansville comes as Planned Parenthood leaders seek to address threats to defund and restrict care.
“We are just…in this environment where we are facing unprecedented and escalating attacks on sexual and reproductive health care,” Gibron said.
On Monday, a judge granted a preliminary injunction partially blocking a provision in President Donald Trump’s reconciliation bill that would cut federal Medicaid funding for one year to certain organizations that provide abortions.
The Associated Press reports that means the government is blocked from withholding funds from Planned Parenthood affiliates that either don’t provide abortions, like in Indiana, or don’t meet a certain threshold for reimbursements.
A spokesperson for PPGNHAIK said the organization is “reviewing what the ruling means for affiliate operations and believe things could shift quickly.” They said they’re still seeing patients with Medicaid and “will continue to be here for Hoosiers.”
In 2022, Indiana became the first state to call a special legislative session for a near-total abortion ban after the United States Supreme Court overturned Roe v. Wade.
This spring, Planned Parenthood criticized the Trump administration's decision to withhold millions of dollars in Title X funding to Planned Parenthood affiliates across the U.S., including Indiana.
According to a news release, that funding helps support care for birth control, cancer screenings, STI testing and more.
Plus, it supports services for people who get all their health care through Planned Parenthood. Brown said a lot of people do that because it’s accessible, affordable and, she said, has a reputation for being nonjudgemental, which can be important for patients from LGBTQ+ and other marginalized communities.
“We find that patients seek that, and they don't find that in all health care,” she said. “There's a lot of biases that a lot of providers still have, that we just really work hard to eliminate for patients.”
Brown said the political climate has them worried.
“I think our patients are concerned about where they will get care,” she said, whether that means about a site closing or if they’ll be able to use Medicaid.
She said more restrictions on health care in general will lead to fewer providers, including some rural hospitals.
Brown said they try to reassure Indiana patients that they aren’t going anywhere. They also want patients across the board to know all their options, so they can make the best decisions about their health care.
Late last month, the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that a South Carolina patient and Planned Parenthood did not have standing to bring a case after state leaders decided in 2018 to exclude the organization from the state’s Medicaid program.
Gibron said leaders aren’t just fighting for the organization, but the ability for all Indiana residents to access trusted and affordable health care.
“We are going to do everything that we can to continue to show up for our patients, to fight for their right to access the care they deserve, for their bodily autonomy, for them to live their best and full lives,” she said.
Coverage of Southern Indiana is funded, in part, by Samtec Inc., the Hazel & Walter T. Bales Foundation, and the Caesars Foundation of Floyd County.
