Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (PPGNY) announced the closure of four health centers in the state due to financial challenges and ongoing systemic issues within the U.S. health care system.
Planned Parenthood of Greater New York (PPGNY) announced the closure of four health centers in Goshen, Amsterdam, Cobleskill, and Staten Island due to financial constraints stemming from various challenges within the healthcare system. The closures are scheduled to take effect in fall 2024, pending approval by the New York State Department of Health.
PPGNY cited compounding financial and political challenges as the primary reasons for the closures. The organization is also facing rising operating expenses, unreliable insurer reimbursements, ongoing pandemic recovery costs, and a hostile political landscape that has made it difficult to provide affordable and accessible healthcare services.
Planned Parenthood Closes Health Centers in New York Amid Financial Challenges
The closures are part of a larger "strategic reconfiguring" of PPGNY's operations, which began in spring 2024. The organization is aiming to maximize resources to deliver patient care throughout New York and respond to changing healthcare needs.
In addition to the health center closures, PPGNY will temporarily pause deep sedation services in Manhattan starting September 3. However, patients will still be able to access local anesthesia and moderate sedation for in-clinic abortion, IUD insertion, and removal. PPGNY will utilize in-house physicians and nurses to administer pain management instead of outsourcing anesthesiology services.
Planned Parenthood Closes Health Centers in New York Amid Financial Challenges
"During this time of deep financial crisis, PPGNY simply cannot afford to contract anesthesiology services in Manhattan without sacrificing other essential patient services and community-centered programs throughout the state," a press release from PPGNY explained.
The Manhattan location will no longer be able to provide abortions at or over 20 weeks gestation due to the suspension of deep sedation services. Patients will be referred to other PPGNY medical partners for abortions later in pregnancy or requiring deep sedation.
Planned Parenthood Closes Health Centers in New York Amid Financial Challenges
Emily Erin Davis, VP of communications at Susan B. Anthony Pro-Life America, expressed support for the closures, stating that pregnancy resource centers provide real options without profiting from the misery of women and children.
Planned Parenthood Manhattan PPGNY also highlighted the challenges posed by a "state budget that fell short of responding to the needs of sexual and reproductive health care providers." The organization emphasized the importance of higher reimbursement rates from Medicaid and private insurers to ensure the long-term sustainability of comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare services.
PPGNY President and CEO Wendy Stark expressed the organization's understanding of the difficult decisions being made and stressed their commitment to preserving comprehensive sexual and reproductive healthcare in the face of ongoing fiscal and political challenges.
"We move into this next step understanding that the difficult decisions we are forced to make today are strategies to preserve our ability to provide comprehensive sexual and reproductive health care in the long term amid ongoing fiscal and political challenges," Stark said.
March For Life President Jeanne Mancini welcomed the news of the closure of the abortion clinic in Manhattan but criticized the continued funding of abortion through taxpayer dollars.
"The large majority of Americans are against taxpayer funding for abortion (60%) and late-term abortion (7 in 10 Americans), so Planned Parenthood should listen to Americans and stop pushing late-term abortions at the taxpayer’s expense," Mancini stated.
