Planned Parenthood reopens health centers
After shutting down to just six statewide in pandemic, nine reopen
Planned Parenthood of Illinois President Jennifer Welch, seen here at the signing ceremony for the Reproductive Health Act a year ago, has announced the reopening of nine statewide health centers shuttered during the worst of the COVID-19 pandemic. (One Illinois/Ted Cox)
By Ted Cox
Reviving, like the larger economy, from the COVID-19 pandemic, Planned Parenthood reopened nine health centers statewide Monday, bringing its Illinois total back to 15.
As the pandemic hit Illinois in March, the health organization shut down the majority of its 18 centers statewide, leaving six open. But with nine reopening Monday, it has regained most of them. “Decisions about reopening the remaining three health centers will be made at a later date,” according to a news release.
“Throughout this crisis, our staff has proven to be flexible and innovative as we’ve worked to provide safe and uninterrupted access to essential health care,” said Jennifer Welch, president of Planned Parenthood of Illinois, in a statement. “We are thankful for the progress Illinois has made in slowing COVID-19 and are grateful to be reopening most of our health centers this month. As an essential health-care provider, PPIL is equally committed to caring for our patients and keeping our teams safe and healthy.”
The 15 reopened centers include six in Chicago — in the Austin, Loop, Near North, Rogers Park, Roseland, and Wicker Park neighborhoods — four in the suburbs of Aurora, Flossmoor, Orland Park, and Waukegan, and five downstate in Bloomington, Champaign, Ottawa, Peoria, and Springfield. Of those, the six mission health centers that remained open during the pandemic were Austin, Near North, Aurora, Flossmor, Peoria, and Springfield, although it opened the new Lake County center in Waukegan in May, delayed from its original planned opening in March.
Although best known for family planning, Planned Parenthood provides the only health care readily available in some parts of the state. U.S. Rep. Jan Schakowsky of Evanston has pointed out that 60 percent of patients at one Planned Parenthood Title X health center reported that it was their only source of health care that year.
Planned Parenthood formally dropped out of the federal Title X program providing health care to those in need last year, refusing to abide by new “gag rule” restrictions imposed by the Trump administration that it couldn’t even mention the option of abortion in tending to patients. Up to then, the organization had operated 18 percent of the state’s Title X outlets, but treated 42 percent of Illinois patients under the program.
Welch pledged at the time that Planned Parenthood would continue its mission regardless of Title X funding, and it has followed through, with Monday’s reopening signaling the return of operations statewide.
According to Planned Parenthood, the centers will observe the following COVID-19 measures:
symptom and temperature screening of both patients and staff;
a universal masking policy;
remote check-in to reduce the amount of time patients spend inside the health center;
social distancing measures, whenever possible, including limiting the number of patients in our waiting rooms at any one time;
enhanced disinfecting and cleaning practices in all PPIL health centers and buildings;
telehealth appointments for select services, so that patients can receive high-quality health care from the comfort of home; and
restricting health-center access to patients only. Children and guests are not currently allowed in PPIL health centers. We know this is inconvenient, but please know this is to keep our patients and staff as safe as possible.
For additional information on locations, such as hours and addresses, or to make an appointment see the Planned Parenthood of Illinois website.