One of the largest regional chapters of Planned Parenthood in the nation plans to close several clinics due to financial shortfalls.
Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains (PPRM) announced that it would close five clinics in Colorado and New Mexico, as well as the only Planned Parenthood clinic in Wyoming. The organization said in a release that closing the clinics would provide "long-term sustainability in the communities we serve."
"After careful and extensive evaluation, PPRM is making some difficult but necessary organizational changes," spokeswoman Whitney Phillips said in the statement. "This strategic decision will allow us to maintain a fiscally solvent operation that will keep our doors open to patients in the region for the long term."
Nevada is the only state in the PPRM's operations that avoided this spate of cuts. PPRM, a registered nonprofit organization, spent $38.7 million in the 2015 fiscal year creating a $2 million shortfall, according to data reported to non-profit tracker Guidestar. The $36.6 million in revenue it collected in 2015 was $3 million more than it took in 2014, according to its federal 990 filing, the most recent available. Government grants accounted for $1,783,632 in 2014.
Planned Parenthood performs about 30 percent of the nation's abortions each year. It derives a significant portion of its revenue from taxpayer dollars through Medicaid and Title X payments, collecting $550 million from taxpayers in 2015. That money is in jeopardy, as Congressional Republicans attempt to pass legislation that would send such funding to women's health clinics that do not perform abortions.
Pro-life activists said that the announced closures signify Planned Parenthood's reliance on taxpayer dollars to sustain its operations. Marjorie Dannenfelser, president of the pro-life Susan B. Anthony List, said in a statement that the abortion provider could not survive "in a market where there are so many better options."
"Planned Parenthood's enterprise is crumbling, even while they are still raking in over half a billion dollars a year from taxpayers. Their abortion-centered business model isn't just morally wrong, it's a failure," Dannenfelser said. "Planned Parenthood must be held accountable. We urge Congress to redirect tax dollars to community health centers that outnumber Planned Parenthood facilities by an average of 20 to one nationally."
She pointed to the fact that the Wyoming Planned Parenthood is directing patients to neighboring women's health clinics as proof that "Planned Parenthood admits these centers provide comprehensive women’s health care without performing or promoting abortion on-demand."
PPRM did not respond to request for comment.