NASHVILLE, Tenn. (WTVF) — Months after federal officials closed the door to Tennessee's family planning funding, some local clinics received $4 million to serve people in Nashville at free and reduced cost.
The President of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi says the money is vital because it allows more people to get help, especially those with lower incomes. Services may include getting birth control, STD testing or screenings for cervical and breast cancer at health centers in Nashville, Memphis and Knoxville. They've added a number of new services for both men and women.
"Following the Dobbs decision, and the loss of abortion services in TN, we have added other services. for example, we have added vasectomy services in Memphis and Nashville, to meet the needs that people have today. We have also added some primary care services and we've added a new app called PP Direct, that allows for home delivery of birth control,” said Ashley Coffield, the President of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi.
These new services come after the state was disqualified from funding in April of this year by the U.S. Department of Health and Human services, because they couldn't discuss abortion services anymore. Coffield says the last time Title 10 services were offered in Nashville was in 2012.
Planned Parenthood has served 375 patients at their Tennessee locations since November 29th. Coffield says now more people can be helped with a variety of services.
There are still so many families in East Tennessee hurting following the floods from Hurricane Helene in September. That made this year's running of the Santa Train extra special for many families in the northeast part of the state. This special Santa Express has been making an annual run in part of Appalachia for over 80 years.
-Lelan Statom
