A new law that cut off federal funding
for some family planning clinics might force a Dodge City clinic to
close.
The Dodge City Family Planning clinic learned last month that
the law, which ended funding for Planned Parenthood, meant it would
not receive $39,000 this year.
The clinic is not affiliated with Planned Parenthood and does
not provide abortions. It serves more than 600 uninsured or
underinsured women a year.
Clinic director Karla Demuth says the law requires that federal
funding go first to public health departments and hospitals. She
says the Dodge City clinic doesn’t qualify because it doesn’t
provide primary care and is not a health department.
The Dodge City Daily Globe reported Monday that Demuth is trying
to find ways to replace the federal dollars.