By PAULA TRACY, InDepthNH.org
COLCHESTER, Vt. – Planned Parenthood of Northern New England announced Tuesday it will close its St. Johnsbury, Vermont, health center on June 3, affecting Northern New Hampshire residents particularly in the Littleton area.
There are no layoffs planned and no expected closures in New Hampshire at its locations in Manchester, Keene, Derry, and Exeter which are open five days a week.
Kayla Mongomery, vice president of public affairs for the organization said on average, about 16 percent of the patients served at the health center are Granite Staters.
The decision was financial.
A press release announcing the decision said over the past five years, PPNNE has faced numerous operational challenges in providing reproductive and sexual health care services in St. Johnsbury including a devastating flooding, as well as inadequate reimbursement rates for services.
“This was a very difficult decision”, said Nicole Clegg, president and CEO of PPNNE. “Providing high quality, dependable care to our patients is at the heart of PPNNE’s mission. PPNNE attempted many different investments and organizational changes to tackle the complexities of delivering care in St. Johnsbury, but the challenges persisted.”
“We find ourselves in a pivotal moment,” Clegg continued. “This is a challenging time for PPNNE as we have been operating with a deficit budget and experiencing serious financial hardship in recent years. Health care costs have drastically increased while reimbursements from insurance companies for sexual and reproductive health care services have remained low and do not cover our costs to provide care.”
St. Johnsbury patients can choose to remain with PPNNE by receiving their services remotely through PPNNE’s telehealth program or in-person at their Barre, Burlington, or Williston health centers. Additionally, PPNNE can refer patients to other local health care providers.
The organization saw more than 11,000 patients throughout the two states a year.
Montgomery said providing health care in rural settings throughout Northern New England is especially difficult right now.
“There are many factors, including a lack of health care workforce, sparse populations, and high costs of care delivery. PPNNE is not unique in this, rural providers, including rural hospitals, across the country are seeing similar issues. The problem is exasperated in New Hampshire with state and federal family planning cuts, low Medicaid reimbursement rates, and New Hampshire’s high cost of living coupled with low wages.”
She said New Hampshire’s North Country residents already have limited health care options available, and this closure will impact some.
“And I do want to note that the nearest PPNNE health center from the St. Johnsbury location is an hour away at White River Junction in Vermont. The closest PPNNE NH location from St. Johnsbury is about two hours away (both Keene and Manchester are about equidistant).
And it comes not long after the Trump Administration froze federal funding for reproductive health care services provided by Planned Parenthood of Northern New England.
The state’s Congressional delegation reacted to that news with U.S. Senators Jeanne Shaheen, D-NH and Maggie Hassan, D-NH, alongside U.S. Representatives Chris Pappas, D-NH and Maggie Goodlander, D-NH releasing this statement.
“The Trump administration’s move to freeze federal funding that helps Planned Parenthood of Northern New England deliver basic and often life-saving reproductive health care will be nothing short of disastrous for the communities we represent. Every day, PPNNE provides thousands of Granite Staters with affordable preventative reproductive health care services. By targeting essential care like cancer screenings and family planning services, the administration is sending a clear message: women’s health doesn’t matter to them.”