9-26-14 fdl planned parenthood office closes

A spokesperson for Planned Parenthood says the organization is concerned that some women may not get the services they need with the Fond du Lac clinic now closed.  The Fond du Lac family planning health center closed  Thursday  due to state budget cuts.  Planned Parenthood spokeswoman Tanya Atkinson says patients impacted by the closure will be referred to clinics in West Bend and Oshkosh.  Atkinson says she’s concerned some of those patients may no longer receive the help and care they need.  Atkinson says in addition to family planning the local center also caught and referred patients for unmanaged and undiagnosed chronic illnesses.  The Fond du Lac office is the fifth one in Wisconsin shuttered in two years due to a lack of state funding.  None of the health centers provided abortion services.  Planned Parenthood of Wisconsin CEO Teri Huyck says the closures are the direct consequence of the Legislature eliminating $1 million in state funding in the last budget.  Planned Parenthood is the largest nonprofit reproductive health care provider in the state. The four clinics that closed last year were in Beaver Dam, Chippewa Falls, Johnson Creek and Shawano. The organization still has 22 health centers around the state.