Yes. It’s official. Another one bites the dust.
Just last week, it was announced that Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ (PPIL) Effingham clinic, located at 415 West Virginia Ave., permanently closed its doors on August 30, 2016.
As the Effingham Daily News writes, the Planned Parenthood sign out front has been taken down, and any phone calls to the clinic are greeted with the message they are no longer in business. In addition, an amusing little pink note can be found taped to the back door that reads:
“We Are Closed.
Please visit us at our Champaign Health Center located at:
302 E. Stoughton
If you need copies of your records. Please call 877-972-7745.”
Photo Credit: Dawn Schabbing, Effingham Daily News
Prior to its closure, the clinic offered birth control, STD testing, pregnancy tests, breast screening, some miscellaneous women’s health care services, and abortion referrals. However, Linda Shapiro, Interim Chief Executive Officer for PPIL, told Effingham Daily News that patient demand in Effingham was dropping. To solve their popularity problem, Ms. Shapiro says the Effingham clinic is “consolidating” with the PPIL clinic in Champaign, where “the demand is the greatest.”
So let’s say you are a woman in Effingham, Illinois. Perhaps you even used to be a patient at the Effingham clinic. Now what? Where can you go to continue receiving services?
Well, there is Planned Parenthood in Decatur, … but that’s 67 MILES away.
And, like Ms. Shapiro mentioned, the Effingham clinic is consolidating with the Champaign clinic, … but that’s 79 MILES away.
So the question is: do you really want to travel that far?
Well if you don’t, it just so happens you have so many other CLOSER alternatives right at your fingertips.
The Planned Parenthood Effingham clinic used to be one of 18 operating Planned Parenthood clinics in Illinois (now there’s just 16). Meanwhile, surrounding these sparsely placed clinics, there are 670 alternative health centers where women can get their health care and the services they need. Here is a map:
Where are Effingham, Decatur, and Champaign?
Clearly, the women of Effingham don’t need to make a 67 or 79 mile voyage to get their health care. In fact, it just so happens that a few blocks away from the old Effingham clinic is St. Anthony’s Memorial Hospital, where medical professionals also provide specialized women’s services through their Women’s Wellness Center.
Here are the services provided by the federally qualified health clinics (included on the map above) in comparison to those offered by Planned Parenthood:
Alternatives are available – and they actually offer more comprehensive care, providing services that treat the whole woman and cater to a variety of needs.
No need to pack your bags for your next expedition to the closest Planned Parenthood clinic. There are better options for you.