Ravalli County Commissioners Vote 3-2 to Accept Federal Funds for Family Planning Clinic
Helena, MT – Julianna Crowley, executive director of NARAL Pro-Choice Montana, is pleased by a recent vote by the Ravalli County Commissioners to accept federal funds for their local family planning clinic, however is concerned that it was accepted only with the stipulation that the board and clinic would have to seek alternative sources of funding within the next year. On August 4, Ravalli county commissioners voted 3-2 to accept Title X, federal funding for family planning services for a year, after receiving hundreds of phone calls and emails, and listening to nearly four hours of public testimony. “The county commissioners' vote to accept federal family planning funds was a victory for the residents of Ravalli County,” Crowley said. “These funds provide medical services crucial to good health, especially for women who have no other access to medical care. For many women in the Bitterroot, this clinic may be their first point of entry into the health care system, thereby serving as a bridge to other services. The strength and collective will power of the women and men who turned out in large numbers to support their local health department and the services it provides has made it possible for the clinic to remain open.” The condition that the board and clinic seek alternate sources of funding raises concern among the reproductive rights community. Anti-choice extremists sitting on the commission have made it clear that they wish to remove certain services that the health department provides such as access to birth control and other contraceptives Title X has been a pivotal part of the Ravalli County Health Department for more than 30 years. In the last year, this kind of funding provided 465 patients with health care they desperately needed. Nearly two weeks ago, the county commissioners of Ravalli County considered stripping their local health department of $39,000 in federal funds that provide women and men in the Bitterroot with access to a whole range of critical services including contraception, affordable annual exams, cancer screenings, and STD/STI testing. | 
