When Merinda Condra was denied Title X funding for her reproductive health clinic, she was told there were existing clinics in this region receiving these funds. Although this is true, conflicting reports cloud the truth.
Condra, CEO of Generation Healthcare, said after a long messy battle over funding, she is closing the doors to her clinic. Unfortunately, women in this area are going to feel the effects of another casualty in the state’s reproductive health care war.
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She said as she was delivering adoption literature in 2012 when the Planned Parenthood staff approached her. In discussion, she said, she was told they were looking to change; she wanted to help. In the Fall 2013, Planned Parenthood of Lubbock became Generation Healthcare with Condra holding the reigns.
“The intent was to take the whole Planned Parenthood abortion debate and politics out of that clinic,” Condra said, “and make it just about helping women.”
Condra said the denial of funds came as a shock to her because she felt confident about the change — including the Title X application. The distribution of funds is the sole responsibility of Women’s Health and Family Planning Association of Texas and CEO Fran Hagerty.
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WHFPT was neglecting her communication efforts after steady correspondence between the agencies, she said. Once denied, Condra sought answers, and in a final effort, she wrote a letter to Senator John Cornyn.
The letter justified Hagerty’s decision by stating there are five existing Title X clinics in public health region 1. The WHFPT website shows four, and a representative for the United States Department of Health and Human Services said there are only three within this region.
When asked about the clinics and the funding, a representative with Cornyn’s office said that was a figure given to them from HHS. Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health representative Diane Gianelli said her records indicated three clinics, none of which are located in Lubbock County.
When asked for a further explanation, Gianelli said she would contact the Office of Population Affairs. Their response never came.
Carolena Cogdill, CEO of Title X-funded Haven Health Clinic in Amarillo, Texas, said she is surprised clinics in Lubbock are not receiving funds.
“It’s absolutely critical for women in the state of Texas to get complete care,” she said as she explained the strict requirements women need to meet in order to receive care under the Texas Women’s Health program.
Texas Women’s Health program, Cogdill said, covers women of reproductive age, and to apply, women need to provide proof of Texas residency.
About 40 minutes away, citizens of Brownfield can drive to the South Plains Public Health District clinic. As a Title X provider, this clinic can see both men and women, but funds are limited as they are distributed based on the clinical needs of the county.
Based on information received through various Title X websites, Lubbock residents are limited when it comes to reproductive health care. The drive to the smaller community seems to be encouraged and may be essential in dire cases.
Soronya Shafer, director of nurses for the South Plains Public Health District, said their Title X funds cover four different locations, but only one is located in public health region 1.
“The Title X is a little more inclusive as far as eligibility guidelines for clients, so it’s valuable to us because of that,” she said as she stressed the importance of Title X funding for the four locations she oversees.
She said Title X differs from state reproductive health funds because it covers teenagers as well as men.
Why not Lubbock?
With Title X playing such a vital role in the state’s reproductive health care, Lubbock County, an area notorious for high rates of sexuallly transmitted diseases and unplanned pregnancies, is without Title X-funded clinics.
Fran Hagerty, CEO of WHFPT, refused to comment on the situation between her and Generation Healthcare and the number of applicants out of the Lubbock region. However, she said Title X funds are coming into Lubbock.
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Documents obtained by Hub@TTU reporters showed Title X funding was indeed distributed to this area. When asked, Hagerty confirmed the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center as the only agency in Lubbock that receives funding through her organization.
“To give you a sense of that in comparison to other places in the state,” she said, “our office is located in Austin, which is a much bigger community than Lubbock, and we only have one Title X provider in Austin as well.”
Hagerty said her organization has an established set of providers who receive funding, but documents showed she was ready to provide funds to Planned Parenthood before Condra took over.
Condra was not the only one denied Title X funds. Hagerty said WHFPT was unable to bring on new providers until the association is granted more money by the federal government.
“We are not going to take money away from them (existing providers) and from the wonderful work that they have,” she said, “to bring new providers on.”
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State of Confusion
Representatives for the Texas Tech University Health Sciences Center-Permian Basin campus in Odessa, Texas, said the regional campus receives funding through WHFPT. Several government websites show the Permian Basin campus as an active provider, unlike the Lubbock campus.
Hilary Majors, a representative for the Health Sciences Center-Permian Basin, said the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology received more than $36,000 during the 2013 cycle and more than $208,000 in 2014.
According to a budgetary document received from a representative of the Health Sciences Center in Lubbock, they receive more than $158,000 in Title X funds. Mike Crowder, the vice president of business affairs at the Health Sciences Center, said the Lubbock location sees none of that money.
Lubbock representatives, including Crowder, claim the funds are distributed to the Permian Basin campus, but none of the documents delivered from Odessa reflect this statement.
In a last effort to obtain more information, a request was sent out to view the same type of financial documents the Permain Basin campus released, but the Health Sciences Center-Lubbock representative Kevin Williams said no such documents exist.
Executive Director of Communications and Marketing Mary Croyle said when it comes to the situation at hand, she could not speak for Fran Hagerty. She also said their obstetrics and gynecology department serves people regardless of the circumstance. However, when asked about their knowledge of Title X funds, the response was the same all across the board: no one knew about the grant.
The Hub reporters were told by various Health Sciences Center officials that the Texas Women’s Health Program was used in Lubbock. According to the program’s guidelines, the program is predominately for women of reproductive age. Condra states Title X funds serve both men and women.
The Health Sciences Center’s Mike Crowder said he contacted WHFPT after being interviewed and was told the Health Sciences Center’s Lubbock campus does not receive Title X grant funds.
WHFPT CEO Hagerty’s response claims otherwise.
Condra sat behind her desk and accessed the Office of Population website. As she explained Lubbock’s lack of funding, she typed in “Lubbock” in the Title X clinic search field.
“Look,” she said as she pointed to the screen. “There are none in this area. Now watch this.”
She expanded the search radius to 10 miles, and being unsuccessful, she moved up to 25 miles; nothing showed up. She finally broadened the search to a 50-mile radius, and Brownfield appeared on the map.
Condra said she knew the Health Sciences Center-Odessa received funds, but she wasn’t sure where the five clinics within public health region 1 are located, even though Senator Cornyn’s office representatives claimed they exist.
Although the clinic was something Condra had her sights set on, she said political biases are everywhere and it does not make sense to her
“Go ahead and fight about the other things,” she said, “but let’s get together and help these women,” she said. “Surely, we can agree on that.”
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