Ohio: Planned Parenthood, Health-Care Organization Will Close Marion Clinic

Some 370 patients have been sent letters notifying them that Planned Parenthood of Ohio will close its Marion County clinic by the end of September. Lisa Perks, the agency's executive director, said a shortage of federal money has caused the Marion facility to run a deficit of $20,000 for each of the past three years.

Planned Parenthood's services, which are low-cost or subsidized, include breast exams, Pap tests, birth control, and STD screenings. Marion clinic patients will be referred to Planned Parenthood's clinic at 152 W. Central Ave., Delaware, Ohio. That facility is open on Tuesdays; appointments are offered 12:30-5:30 p.m.

The Delaware clinic is 23 miles from Marion. To ease costs, Planned Parenthood is offering $10 gas cards, Perks said. About 14 percent of Marion patients already seek care in Delaware, and others have indicated they are willing to travel short distances for care.

But Christine Haas, executive director of the Marion Adolescent Pregnancy Program, worries that the distance may prevent some teens from accessing care.

Back to other news for September 12, 2005