In fact,
there are eight health centers within five miles of the former Western Hills Planned Parenthood location, and two within five miles of the former Springdale location. There are also school clinics close to Western Hills and Springdale where teenagers and their families can get care.
Hamilton County alone has 51 sites that are part of
Ohio’s Community Health Centers.
These centers serve all, including the uninsured. They provide both primary and preventive care and consist of various types of specialized care, including primary, chiropractic, dental, gynecological, and much more. The City of Cincinnati alone has
seven federally funded locations
that provide primary care as part of this network.
In addition to numerous hospitals that treat the whole woman, an extensive network of pregnancy resource centers exists in the tri-state area. They serve women and men who find themselves faced with pregnancy decisions. They provide free pregnancy tests, free ultrasounds, free STD testing, material assistance, and more.
Meg Wittman, Executive Director of Cincinnati Right to Life, addressing concerns about the lack of care resources said, "The pro-life movement stands for women. We desire that all women are healthy, safe, happy, and informed. Planned Parenthood's abortion agenda attempts to hide the truth. The truth is that in Ohio, in addition to dozens of pregnancy care centers, there are 380 Community Health Center site locations - 51 in Hamilton County alone. They serve all, no matter what. That is the unaltered, simple truth."
At a time when the Ohio Department of Health has ranked Hamilton County among the counties with the highest rates of gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis in the state, those advocating on behalf of women’s health, stressed that it was irresponsible to frighten vulnerable patients. These patients might be concerned they won’t have access to services such as pap smears, breast examinations and testing for sexually transmitted diseases since they cannot afford them. The concern that without these two Planned Parenthood locations they will have no place to obtain affordable care, is not valid.
Dr. Christine Furgason is a Family Physician and Associate Medical Director at Crossroad Health Center – a federally qualified health center. She said, “In light of the closing of two Cincinnati Planned Parenthood locations, we want women to know that there are many other community organizations and health centers that care about the women in our community and will continue to provide high-quality and compassionate women's healthcare. At Crossroad Health Center, we want women to feel empowered to develop a reproductive life plan so that each pregnancy is welcome. We aim to help women become the healthiest version of themselves, providing whole-person, patient-centered and comprehensive care, with a focus on preventative healthcare.”
It was clear that today’s focus and collective concern was women’s health and re-assuring the women of Hamilton County that access to affordable health care and preventive services is just about everywhere in Hamilton County.
