On Wednesday morning, a security guard paced the gated perimeter of Planned Parenthood\u2019s South Claiborne Avenue clinic, where staffers were preparing to treat patients for the first time in roughly a year.<\/p>\n
“We’ve only been open for about an hour. So it’s a little quiet so far, but we have a full schedule and are excited to see patients,” said associate medical director Lori Williams, APRN.<\/p>\n
Last September, Planned Parenthood Gulf Coast shuttered its two Louisiana clinics<\/a> after more than 40 years in the state, amid what Planned Parenthood Great Plains CEO Emily Wales called “political attacks.” Those included federal Medicaid funding restrictions and opposition from officials such as Louisiana Attorney General Liz Murrill, who described Planned Parenthood as “a business (built) around promoting death.”<\/p>\n Gov. Jeff Landry at the time called the closures a win for babies and mothers.<\/p>\n Planned Parenthood Great Plains, meanwhile, had already been eyeing Louisiana for expansion to meet the local need for contraception, STI care, cancer screenings, gender-affirming care and other reproductive health services. In June<\/a>, Wales announced plans to reopen the New Orleans clinic under the Great Plains affiliate, which for 90 years has operated in Arkansas, Kansas, Missouri and Oklahoma.<\/p>\n “We’re a different organization, but we also operate in red states with hostile legislatures who often don’t value sexual and reproductive health care,” Wales said in a Tuesday phone interview. “We’ve been able to make our model of continuing healthcare work for a long time, and we’re committed to bringing that same effort and approach we use in other states to Louisiana.”<\/p>\n Half of the organization’s funding is supplied through private donations and half through clinical revenue. That model ensures patients in need can access care at little or no cost.<\/p>\n At the New Orleans location, six employees will treat 15 to 20 patients a day. There are no immediate plans to reopen a Baton Rouge location, though telehealth appointments are available.<\/p>\n “We heard from folks in Baton Rouge that there are health care deserts, and we will figure out a way to be more present in those communities,” Wales said.<\/p>\n