Family planning agencies play a critical role in ensuring people have access to a variety of preventative and healthcare services. Because they lower the risk of unplanned pregnancy, federally funded family planning clinics lower public-sector costs for maternity and infant care among Medicaid-eligible women. For every $1 spent on a family planning clinic, $4.02 is saved, according to a report by the Guttmacher Institute in the Journal of Health Care for the Poor and Underserved.
Contraceptive Clinics
Family planning clinics provide a range of services, including advice about contraception, limited supplies of free condoms, birth control pills or injections, checking of caps, diaphragms, and intrauterine devices, or IUDS, cervical screening, advice about sexually transmitted infections, free pregnancy tests, unplanned pregnancy advice and fertility information. Clinics are located at state and local health departments, tribal organizations, university health centers, hospitals, independent clinics, faith-based organizations, community health centers and other public and private nonprofit agencies.
Clinics That Provide Special Services
Some clinics may provide special services such as emergency contraception, sexually transmitted infection testing, vasectomy counseling and procedures, incest, rape and sexual abuse counseling and referral, abortion services, pre-abortion and post-abortion counseling and referral, sterilization counseling and referral, menopause clinics and fitting of caps, diaphragms and IUDs.
Title X Supported Clinics
Title X is a federal grant program devoted to providing Americans with family planning and preventative health services. As of 2008, more than 4,500 community-based clinics were supported by Title X, according to the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Title X funds may not be used in clinics that provide abortion services. Programs supported by Title X are expected to provide clinical, informational, educational, social and referral services. Title X supported clinics charges are based on income. No one is turned away because of inability to pay.
