#PPMI's #virtual #health center is its most popular clinic…serving >10k patients/year. PPMI plans to expand virtual appointments by 40%, including weekend & evening hours.

"For some rural communities, having access to #telehealth has made significant changes in their health," said Wallett, PPMI's chief #medical operating officer. "In telehealth, I can have an appointment in my car during lunch. I don't have to take extra time off. I don't have to drive there. I don't have to find child care."

"We know that #telehealth cannot bridge every gap; however, the majority of the services #PPMI provides will remain available via the Virtual Health Center & PP Direct, including #MedicationAbortion, #birthcontrol, #HIV services, #UTI treatment, emergency #contraception, #gender-affirming care, & yeast infection treatment. Learn more at ppmi.org/telehealth."

Asked if #PlannedParenthood's natl #funding structure needs to change, #PPMI CEO Thornton Greear said: "I think that it needs to be looked at, & what they're able to do. I know that that is actively happening."
When #Marquette clinic's closure was announced, dozens of #patients voiced their concerns in Google reviews, w/several saying the #clinic had "saved my life," & describing how they'd been helped after an #assault, or been able to get low-cost #care when they couldn't afford other options.

Historically, about 28% of #PPMI's #patients receive #Medicaid benefits.And like many states, #Michigan's Medicaid program doesn't cover #abortion, leaving patients to either pay out-of-pocket or rely on help from #AbortionFunds, which have been struggling financially.
“When patients can't afford care, that means that they might not be showing up to clinics,”said the National Abortion Federation,which had to cut its budget nearly in half, from covering 50% of an eligible patient's #costs to 30%.

While the current #TitleX freeze doesn't yet include #PlannedParenthood of #Michigan, #PPMI's chief advocacy officer, Ashlea Phenicie, said it would amount to a loss of about $5.4 million annually, or 16% of its budget.

PPMI didn't shut down any clinics the last time the #Trump admin froze its Title X #funding. …because the funding was stopped for only about 2 years, 2019–2021, when #Biden restored it.

Clinics are also bracing for the #Trump admin to again exclude them from #TitleX, the federal #funding for low- & no-cost #FamilyPlanning services, as the previous Trump admin did in 2019.

#PlannedParenthood of #Michigan (#PPMI) says the cuts are painful but necessary for the organization's long-term sustainability.