Essential Access Health Statement on the Withholding of Title X Funding

Los Angeles, CA – Essential Access Health (Essential Access) received written notification from the Office of the Assistant Secretary for Health (OASH) that disbursement for our Title X grant awards for California and Hawaii is being temporarily withheld. We have been asked to respond to an inquiry regarding compliance with federal policy and practices related to civil rights and Executive Orders focused on DEI activities within 10 days.

Essential Access has issued the following statement:

“Title X provides a pathway to essential and time-sensitive health care like contraception, STI testing and treatment, and cancer screenings for millions of patients across the country, including more than half a million patients in California and Hawaii served at nearly 380 health centers.

Essential Access Health has been a Title X grantee since the nation’s federal family planning program was established by Congress with bi-partisan support in 1970.

This unprecedented, arbitrary, and immediate pause in distribution of critical resources is harmful to patients and providers. Any funding delay is detrimental, and an extended delay would devastate our family planning safety net.

We will respond to the request for information from HHS and explore all options available to protect our Title X provider network and the communities they serve.”

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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.