Essential Access Health Statement on NFPRHA and ACLU Lawsuit Challenging HHS’ Unlawful Withholding of Title X Family Planning Grants

Essential Access Health is the Title X grantee for California and Hawai‘i and has had more than $15 million in funding withheld 

Los Angeles, CA – Today, the National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) represented by the ACLU filed a complaint against the Trump Administration for illegally withholding $65.8 million dollars from Title X federal family planning program grantees, including the nation's largest Title X grantee, Essential Access Health (Essential Access).

“Title X provides a pathway to essential and time-sensitive health care for millions of patients across the country, including more than half a million patients in California and Hawaii served at nearly 380 health centers,” said Dr. Nomsa Khalfani, Co-CEO Essential Access Health. “In California, nearly half (48%) of Title X providers report that there would be immediate or likely layoffs and more than 60% (62%) reported that they would have immediate reductions in family planning services they could offer without Title X funding. Loss of Title X funding would result in the closure of a service site altogether. In Hawaii, without Title X funding, some of our agencies will have immediate layoffs and more than half will have immediate reductions in sexual and reproductive health services.”

As the lawsuit makes clear, HHS is violating its own rules and there is no legal authority for HHS to withhold Title X grant funding pending an investigation. The agency is also acting arbitrarily and has provided no explanation or justification for its decision to withhold funds and investigate grantees. The Administration has targeted Essential Access and other impacted grantees – withholding millions of dollars of critical funding that support time-sensitive and essential health care – based on past statements and old documents that align with Title X regulations.

This is not only wrong, it’s unlawful.

Essential Access is one of 16 agencies affected by the Trump administration’s actions, and as a consequence, 7 states, including California and Hawai‘i are currently without any Title X-funded services – representing 26% of the Title X network nationwide.

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Essential Access Health advances reproductive equity and champions quality sexual and reproductive health care for all through distributing public funding, policy advocacy, research, training and capacity building for the health care workforce, and youth and community empowerment. We work to ensure that everyone, everywhere can get the care they want and need, where and how they need it, with dignity and respect.