BEND, Ore. (AP) — The Deschutes County Health Department is weighing whether to recommend an end to birth control and family planning services at some of its clinics.
The Bend Bulletin reports the health department experienced a 66 percent drop in the number of reproductive health visits from 2014 to 2017, after the passage of the Affordable Care Act and other health reforms increased insurance coverage in the county.
So the Deschutes County Health Department is thinking of ending birth control and family planning services at its Bend, Redmond and La Pine clinics, sending patients to private clinics in the region instead.
Deschutes Public Health Deputy Director Hillary Saraceno says the question is still being discussed internally, and no decision has been made.
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Deschutes County Health officials have been contacting other clinics in the region to gauge their ability to absorb the additional patients.
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Information from: The Bulletin, http://www.bendbulletin.com