Cancer screenings, contraception, and other sexual health services for uninsured patients in the Philly region are impacted by a Trump funding freeze
by Aubrey Whelan
Published May 6, 2025, 12:41 p.m. ET, Article Link
At her West Philadelphia health clinic, physician Shelley Henderson is running low on contraception.
Some of her patients are scrambling to get the contraceptives they need before supplies run out. Others are making appointments to remove contraceptive devices earlier than planned, fearing they will lose access to federally funded sexual healthcare from Henderson at the Public Health Management Corporation’s Health Center on Cedar. That’s because President Donald Trump’s administration last month froze Title X funds in Southeastern Pennsylvania. These federal dollars cover family planning and other sexual health services for people who are under- or uninsured.
The freeze withheld a year’s worth of funding from 16 organizations around the country that distribute Title X funds to regional providers. In Southeastern Pennsylvania, that organization is
AccessMatters, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit that was set to give out $5.7 million to 22 organizations operating 77 clinics in the area.
The organization says it was told that federal officials were investigating its compliance with Trump directives on immigration and diversity, equity, and inclusion.
“This is a direct attack on contraception and sexual healthcare access,” said Ayana Bradshaw, AccessMatters’ president and CEO. “It’s going to result in clinic closures, reduced services, and worse health outcomes for millions of people.”
Title X funds cover contraception and other family planning methods. They also fund treatment and testing for sexually transmitted infections, cancer screenings, vaccinations, and health education. The funds do not pay for abortions.
The American Civil Liberties Union and the National Family Planning and Reproductive Health Association filed a lawsuit late last month over the funding freeze. The federal Department of Health and Human Services, which oversees Title X funding, did not return a request for comment.
Trump has argued that DEI programs discriminate against white people, and his administration has already targeted federal grants that support research on health equity and threatened universities with funding cuts based on their DEI policies.
Area providers and patients who receive Title X-funded care say the program has served as a gateway to health services beyond reproductive care. Now they fear losing a trusted resource for vulnerable patients who already had trouble getting the care they need.
At Health Center on Cedar, Henderson says that almost all of her patients live below the poverty line, and about 3,700 patients at the clinic receive some kind of Title X benefit.
“For patients who already struggle to trust the healthcare system, our hands are tied,” Henderson said.
Serving thousands in southeastern PA
AccessMatters distributed funding last year that covered care for more than 61,000 patients, the organization said. Title X funding covered about 36% of its family planning program costs.
Other funding that it receives from the state and from nongovernmental organizations cannot replace federal contributions, Bradshaw said.
“It’s going to be impossible for philanthropy and corporations to replace these large government programs,” Bradshaw said.
Beyond the reproductive care it funds, providers say Title X care can help patients establish relationships at clinics, allowing doctors to connect them with additional services that aren’t funded through Title X,like blood pressure screenings and access to housing and food assistance.
“For a lot of people we serve, it’s their only source of primary healthcare. It’s a critical entry point to medical care and support for all the social factors that shape health,” Bradshaw said.
‘They work with you’
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At Bebashi, a West Philadelphia nonprofit, $100,000 in Title X funding ensures about 145 patients have access to services like STI testing, mammograms, and cervical cancer screenings, president and CEO Sebrina Tate said.
Chardonnay Carter, 28, of North Philadelphia, first sought care with Bebashi about four years ago through a program that helps trans Philadelphians like her access housing.
She gets some Title X-funded care through the nonprofit and also uses their food pantry and a free closet that provides new clothes for trans people. She regularly meets with a case worker and has been able to get support for her transition and medications to prevent HIV.
Homecare nurse Raymond Payne, also of North Philadelphia, a client at Bebashi for 14 years, counts on the organization for food, HIV medication, and primary care. He comes back not only because of the healthcare, but also because he appreciates the personal approach staff take with him.
“They’re gentle, they take their time,” he said. “They work with you.”
To preserve Payne and Carter’s Title X care, Bebashi is looking to find other funding sources and considering cutting other programming or staff. Still, uncertainty about the future is rattling staff and patients.
“We’re not looking to stop, cut or reduce services, but we have to get creative about how we bring funds in,” Tate said. “It’s uncomfortable, to say the least, and a little bit scary, because we don’t know what could be next.”
A broad impact
At PHMC Health Center on Cedar, Henderson placed last week her final order using federal funding for Nexplanon devices, contraceptive implants that are inserted under the skin of a person’s arm and provides contraception for up to three years.
After that order runs out, Henderson said, patients without insurance won’t be able to receive them.
With so many patients at clinics like hers dependent on Title X funds, Henderson said many providers worry their workplaces will close entirely.
“[The funding freeze] impacts almost every visit I do, personally,” she said.
