The Planned Parenthood health center in St. Johnsbury will close on June 3, the health care provider announced on Tuesday.
Planned Parenthood of Northern New England, or that this particular health center, which is currently open just two days a week, has faced significant challenges since the pandemic.
鈥淎mong all of our health centers, St. Johnsbury operates with the greatest financial loss 鈥� due to the lack of health care professionals, the lower patient volume,鈥� said Jessica Barquist, PPNNE Vice President of Public Affairs, Vermont, in an interview with 开云体育.
Only 688 people 鈥� 4% of its total patient base at the seven PPNNE health centers in Vermont 鈥� visited the St. Johnsbury location in fiscal year 2024, Barquist said.
And she said like other rural providers, PPNNE is struggling with the rising cost of health care and low reimbursement rates from health insurers.
The St. Johnsbury health center building has also flooded three times in the past year, and needs maintenance that the organization can鈥檛 afford to do right now.
In August 2024, PPNNE announced a projected deficit budget of $8.6 million over the next three years. Then last week, the Trump administration froze around half a million dollars in family planning grants for New Hampshire Planned Parenthood health centers, .
While Vermont Planned Parenthood centers didn鈥檛 lose funds, Barquist said as a three-state organization, the frozen grants in New Hampshire do impact PPNNE as a whole.
She added that the 鈥渄ifficult鈥� decision to close the St. Johnsbury health center was made so PPNNE could continue serving all its patients in the long-term.
鈥淲e know that it's going to be really hard for the community,鈥� Barquist said. 鈥淎bout 16% of the patients at St, Johnsbury came from New Hampshire, and there are no other family planning providers in the North Country in New Hampshire.鈥�
The next closest Planned Parenthood health center is an hour鈥檚 drive away, in Barre. The other remaining Vermont locations include Brattleboro, Burlington, Rutland, White River Junction and Williston.
Locations in Bennington, Middlebury, Hyde Park, Newport and St. Albans closed in 2022 鈥� eliminating services from the two counties, Orleans and Franklin,
Local lawmakers expressed concern on Tuesday about the loss of the Northeast Kingdom鈥檚 last Planned Parenthood health center.
鈥淭his is disappointing, women in the greater St. Johnsbury area need high-quality reproductive health services; traveling to receive these services limits access and is more expensive,鈥� wrote Vermont Senate Minority Leader Sen. Scott Beck, a Republican representing Caledonia County, in an email.
Rep. Leanne Harple, a Democrat from Glover, shared Beck鈥檚 disappointment.
"Planned Parenthood provides essential healthcare for people of all ages,鈥� she wrote in an email. 鈥淎nd we should do everything that we can as a state to provide healthcare access to people in rural communities.鈥�
Barquist said PPNNE is working with its St. Johnsbury location patients to find alternative care in the next couple months 鈥� whether that鈥檚 a different Planned Parenthood health center, telehealth services or another local provider.
And she said the health center staff are being offered different positions, too.
In the long-term, Barquist said PPNNE is advocating at the Vermont Statehouse for things like increasing Medicaid rates for family planning services 鈥� and waiting to see what happens next under the Trump administration.
鈥淭hat waiting and unknown is really hard, both for patients and providers,鈥� Barquist said. 鈥淲e are committed to serving all of our patients and making sure that they have access to the care that they need.鈥�
