EL PASO, Texas (KFOX14/CBS4) — Planned Parenthood of El Paso is expanding its access to birth control and other reproductive healthcare on Tuesday with more than $1 million in private support.

On Tuesday, Planned Parenthood of El Paso and local leaders announced the privately funded healthcare initiative that aims to make birth control accessible to patients at the Planned Parenthood El Paso Health Center.

According to the organization, the initiative, “Birth Control for All/Toma Control,” aims to close a funding gap left after a federal grant was discontinued in 2025, when the Trump Administration issued a notice that Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas’ federal Title X grant was being withheld.

The move resulted in a loss of $650,000 in funding for the El Paso community for birth control and other essential healthcare, according to Planned Parenthood.

The federal grant had provided federal funding to health centers across the country for family planning and reproductive healthcare, including birth control and other non-abortion services since 1970.

According to The Washington Post, Title X funding has been withheld from 16 organizations across seven states since 2025.

For Planned Parenthood of El Paso, the initiative will help bridge the funding gap and help make contraceptives affordable for El Pasoans, stating that one in four residents are uninsured and one in five live below the federal poverty line.

“The Birth Control for All / Toma Control initiative removes cost barriers for eligible patients, allowing them to access the birth control method that works best for them, including long-acting reversible methods like IUDs and implants,” said Miranda Aguirre, health center manager for Planned Parenthood in El Paso. “Patients can also choose pain management for IUD and implant insertions and removals through this twelve-month program.”

According to Planned Parenthood, while 99% of American women use birth control at some point in their lifetime, barriers to affordable contraceptives remain prevalent in low-income communities, adding that those barriers increase unintended pregnancies.

Speaking to KFOX14/CBS4 on Tuesday after the announcement, Cecili Chadwick, Philanthropy and Community Affairs Officer at Planned Parenthood of El Paso, said having the program and access to affordable contraceptives in El Paso means that more people will have more choices about when and if to start a family.

“The initiative allows for people who do not have the resources to access birth control to have choices about when and if to start a family. And so we are super proud to be able to provide this no-barrier birth control for folks who need it. This is the first time that we’ve received a grant of this size in El Paseo to be able to provide no-cost birth control,” Chadwick said.

According to Chadwick, those interested in receiving from the program must be uninsured and below the federal poverty line.

“This program is already implemented. So we are ready to start seeing patients. So please come in and see us. You’re welcome to call for a consultation over the phone if you have any questions,” Chadwick added.

Planned Parenthood said the new Birth Control for All / Toma Control initiative and patient care are supported by private donors and foundations, including Lynne Dobson and Greg Wooldridge, Tejemos Foundation; Nancy and Stuart Shiloff from the Shiloff Family Foundation; Amy and Beto O’Rourke; Dr. Oge Alozie; Rebecca and Alan Krasne; Paola Gallegos; Elena Tejeda; and others.

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