State Law Affecting Local Women’s Health Clinics

Public funding for the Texas Women’s Health Program is starting to dry up.

Earlier this month, state lawmakers implemented a rule that would exclude clinics affiliated with abortion providers from getting funds.

In response to that, federal officials cut their funding to Texas, affecting the program that covers more than 100,000 women in the state.

Pat Moreno, the director for University Medical Center Women’s Health Centers, said the law is already affecting the number of patients walking through the door.

UMC is not affiliated with abortion services, therefore the clinics will not lose federal funding.

The clinics are open and offering services.

Moreno said about half the women who walk into the seven clinics around El Paso are covered by the Women’s Health Program.

Women and teens — insured or not — have been welcome to the clinics for over 40 years.

After state officials implemented the law earlier this month, Moreno said the women’s clinics have been affected.

“In these last two-and-a-half weeks we’ve seen a decline in telephones ringing, patients coming in for visits,” said Moreno.

An estimated fifteen-thousand visits were made last year to the clinics.

Once the federal funding is completely scrapped, “half of our program would basically be gone,” said Moreno.

The office for Governor Rick Perry has said it will find money at the state level to cover patients under the Women’s Health Program.

It is still unclear from where state officials plan to get that money.