Latest news with #PlannedParenthoodofTennessee
Yahoo
12-04-2025
- Yahoo
Man accused of depositing $22K in stolen Planned Parenthood checks
MEMPHIS, Tenn. — A Memphis man is accused of depositing nearly $22,000 worth of stolen checks from Planned Parenthood into his personal bank account. Antonio Frazier, 24, was booked in the Shelby County Jail Thursday on charges of theft of property, forgery, and ID theft. The checks were made to various vendors for Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, including cleaning and plumbing businesses, and the Mid-South Pride Foundation. Police said a $1,390 check from Neshoba Early Learning Center was also deposited into Frazier's First Horizon checking account. Planned Parenthood CEO Ashley Coffield told investigators she didn't know Frazier. She said Frazier did not have access to the checks that were supposed to be mailed out to their vendors. First Horizon had flagged Frazier's bank account for suspicious activity and contacted police when Frazier came to the Austin Peay Highway branch to get a debit card for his account. First Horizon said on April 1, Frazier had $22,842.83 in his personal account, and by April 10, his balance was down to $13,323.78. Detectives with the MPD's Economic Crimes Bureau said Frazier admitted to giving his First Horizon Card to someone he knew was going to put fraudulent funds into his bank account. Investigators said Frazier told them he knew it was a scam and he was supposed to get half of the money. Frazier is scheduled to be arraigned on Monday. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
04-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Cuts to family planning programs could increase healthcare prices in Tennessee
KNOXVILLE, Tenn. (WATE) — $8 million worth of federally-funded grants have been withheld from Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi according to its CEO. This comes after a funding freeze was placed on Title X programs throughout the country, impacting a number of organizations and nine Planned Parenthood affiliates. How will President Trump's new tariffs impact East Tennessee families? According to the Department of Health and Human Services, Title X service grants have helped provide affordable birth control, cancer screenings, and other family planning services to people with low incomes for over 50 years. In the 16 months Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi has received this grant funding, CEO Ashley Coffield said they have seen over 21,000 patients. 'Taking away Title X family planning dollars from Tennessee providers, including Planned Parenthood, will make health care more expensive for Tennesseans, period,' she said. With Title X being the nation's only federal program dedicated to providing affordable family planning and preventative health services, Coffield said withholding this funding will change the way that they're able to provide services. 'There are a number of things that we're able to do for people with Title X funding that make services completely free based on their income and family size, and we may not be able to do all of that going forward without Title x support,' said Coffield. 3 pounds of brown rice tossed at Maryville restaurant during inspection Planned Parenthood is one of the only health centers in East Tennessee who receive this funding. In 2023, the Tennessee Department of Health was kicked out of the program for failing to comply with its rules. 'We worked with another Planned Parenthood affiliate to apply for the dollars and through, an application process. We were able to expand an existing Title X grant in another state to include Tennessee, and then we became a sub-grantee,' said Coffield. Despite this, the Trump administration recently restored Title X funds to the Tennessee Department of Health. 'They didn't apply for the money, according to the existing rules of the program, they are not eligible for the money, yet the Trump administration has sent them an award letter while freezing our funding,' said Coffield. Three federal grants terminated for Tennessee Department of Health, 7 Knox County Health workers laid off In a statement to 6 News, the Knox County Health Department said 'it is too early to speculate on how the department will obligate the funding.' However, Coffield said Title X was a perfect fit for them. 'We do not provide abortion services. We provide all forms of birth control, we provide STI testing and treatment, we provide cancer screenings, gender affirming care and other preventive services,' she said. 'The program fits perfectly with the types of services that Planned Parenthood provides.' Coffield said the loss of Title X funding will increase the price of healthcare, she emphasized that planned parenthood and their services will remain open, and they will continue to provide affordable care for their patients. As part of the funding freeze, Coffield also told 6 News they are under a compliance investigation, and while she said they are cooperating, it is unknown when, or if, they will be able to continue using this grant funding. Tennessee Right to Life shared a statement with 6 News praising the decision to take as funding away from Planned Parenthood and to restored Title X funds to the Tennessee Department of Health. 'To take funding from real healthcare providers and give it to Planned Parenthood, the nation's largest abortion business, was a slap in the face to the people of Tennessee who are proud to protect our most vulnerable citizens. Restoring Tennessee's funding will ensure that these tax dollars will be used to help Tennesseans, not kill our most vulnerable citizens. For that we are grateful,' said Stacy Dunn, President of Tennessee Right to Life. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
Yahoo
02-04-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Trump administration freezes $8M in family planning health care grants for low-income Tennesseans
Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and Northern Mississippi was notified Monday the organization lost $8 million after Title X grants were suspended by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. (Photo: Angela Dennis) The Trump administration on Monday abruptly suspended an estimated $8 million in federal grant funding that provides family planning, cancer screenings and preventative health care to low-income Tennesseans. More than 30,000 Tennesseans have accessed healthcare through the impacted organizations since late 2023. Planned Parenthood announced that nine of its affiliates — including the affiliate that funds Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi — were notified that funding under the Title X grant program is suspended until further notice. A spokesperson for the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) stated Tuesday that it is 'concerned about the compliance of several awardees' receiving a combined $27.5 million in Title X funds. The department is assessing all Title X grant recipients for compliance with federal law and President Donald Trump's executive orders. No final determinations have been made. The Title X program has supported affordable basic health care, birth control, STI testing and treatment, and cancer screening for more than 50 years, Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi President and CEO Ashley Coffield said Tuesday. Withdrawing Title X funds will drive up costs for people who already face barriers to access health care, she said. 'We're going to hang on as long as we can and provide the care without having the reimbursement,' Coffield said. Trump administration targets Planned Parenthood's family-planning grants The notice of suspension also went to Mississippi-based organization Converge, Inc., which began receiving Title X funds in 2023 to provide Tennesseans with low- and no-cost reproductive health care. Converge has served nearly 12,000 patients through 33 health centers in Tennessee, according to the organization. In a letter to Converge, HHS cited Converge's public statement, 'Our Commitment to Addressing Systemic Racism,' as grounds for compliance review based on civil rights laws prohibiting discrimination on the basis of race, color and national origin. The department is also assessing compliance with executive orders, including President Donald Trump's 'Ending Taxpayer Subsidization of Open Borders' order barring publicly funded benefits to people without legal immigration status. 'Every day that there is a delay in Title X funding is a day that patients across Mississippi and Tennessee go without care,' Converge Co-founder Jamie Bardwell stated. 'This will create a cascading effect across the South, disrupting access to basic health care services … These disruptions will lead to increased negative health outcomes, including higher rates of unintended pregnancy and STIs.' HHS did not share a timeline for its compliance reviews. Converge will 'comply with the requests outlined by HHS and demonstrate our adherence to this administration's orders,' Bardwell stated. 'People's lives depend on it.' Title X funding has been distributed to the two organizations after the Tennessee Department of Health was kicked out of the program for violating the conditions of the grant by refusing to provide patients with 'non-directive' counseling that included abortion after the state instituted an abortion ban. The state health department previously received roughly $8 million from the program. In the 16 months that the organization has received grant funding, Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi has served 21,989 patients and logged 22,263 visits in Tennessee, Coffield said. The organization provides care on a sliding fee scale based on family size and income. Planned Parenthood received $3.8 million last year to provide services in Tennessee, according to Coffield. Converge received just under $8.4 million in fiscal year 2024 to provide services in Mississippi and Tennessee, HHS records show. The Title X grant funding cycle was slated to end March 31, with renewals beginning April 1. In previous years, organizations would have been told weeks in advance what funding level to expect for the coming year, Coffield said. Instead, they got the letter informing them of the funding freeze — the first correspondence they've received under Trump's second administration. It seems like the Trump administration and Elon Musk are appeasing their anti-abortion backers and targeting basic health care that has nothing to do with abortion. Real people's lives are going to suffer as a result. – Ashley Coffield, Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi CHOICES Center for Reproductive Health, a Converge sub-grantee, operates a walk-in clinic in Memphis providing birth control, emergency contraception, confirmation of pregnancy and options counseling and HIV testing, in addition to other testing and treatment services. 'CHOICES is heartbroken to have lost critical Title X funding—funding that provides essential family planning and wellness services that are especially important in places like Tennessee, where we face a total abortion ban and an utter lack of maternal health care services,' President and CEO Jennifer Pepper stated, pledging to fighting for patient care. Coffield said the freeze is causing unnecessary chaos, confusion and anxiety for patients. 'It seems like the Trump administration and Elon Musk are appeasing their anti-abortion backers and targeting basic health care that has nothing to do with abortion,' she said. 'Real people's lives are going to suffer as a result.' Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi will work to continue providing affordable care without support from Title X funding in the event of permanent loss. 'We will do everything that we can to continue to help people get the care that they need, that it's affordable, that they have the freedom to choose to come to the provider of their choice, and that they're not forced out of getting basic care by the Trump administration and Elon Musk,' Coffield said. SUBSCRIBE: GET THE MORNING HEADLINES DELIVERED TO YOUR INBOX
