Resolution 170880

..Title Urging the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Congress of the United States to protect access to preventive health services at Planned Parenthood Health Centers in Pennsylvania. ..Body WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood is a provider of high-quality, cost-efficient, affordable health care and is a critical part of the health care delivery network in Pennsylvania; and WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood is the one of the most trusted women's health care providers in Pennsylvania, and has been for over 100 years; and WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood affiliates operate 32 health centers in the Commonwealth and are the largest provider of preventive family planning services. Last year alone, affiliates in Pennsylvania served almost 90,000 patients and provided nearly 170,000 screenings for sexually transmitted diseases, over 9,000 cervical cancer screenings and 11,000 breast wellness exams; and WHEREAS, Nearly 50% of Planned Parenthood health centers in Pennsylvania are in medically under-served areas of the state. Planned Parenthood is the only provider of subsidized family planning care for those on Medicaid or services covered by the federal family planning program, known as Title X, in some Pennsylvania counties, including Somerset, Lehigh, Northampton and Bucks. Many women prefer to receive specialized family planning services from a provider like Planned Parenthood, and use it as their primary source of care; and WHEREAS, Assertions that patients would be seamlessly absorbed by the already overburdened health care safety net in Pennsylvania are untrue. Reduction in access to subsidized women's health services will only lead to more unintended pregnancies and abortions, more untreated STDs, more undetected cancers, and ultimately, more costs for the Commonwealth; and WHEREAS, One in five women will rely on Planned Parenthood centers for health care in her lifetime. For many, Planned Parenthood serves as their primary source of health care; and WHEREAS, Planned Parenthood health centers are a critical point of entry to the broader health care system for its patients. Just like hospitals and primary care physicians, Planned Parenthood affiliates receive reimbursements for services provided, and those funds are restricted for specific purposes and/or income thresholds; and WHEREAS, Pennsylvania's Planned Parenthood affiliates follow state laws and have the highest medical and ethical standards, which is why they remain a trusted, high quality, compassionate health care provider; now, therefore, be it RESOLVED, BY THE COUNCIL OF THE CITY OF PHILADELPHIA, That Council does hereby urge the Pennsylvania General Assembly and the Congress of the United States to protect access to preventive health services at Planned Parenthood Health Centers in Pennsylvania. ..End