Planned Parenthood To Close 4 IL Health Centers

ILLINOIS — Planned Parenthood of Illinois is closing four health centers across the state amid a financial shortfall tied to rising care costs, an increase in patients needing financial assistance, and political uncertainty, according to the organization.

Centers will close in Chicago’s Englewood neighborhood as well as in downstate Ottawa, Decatur and Bloomington, Planned Parenthood said in a news release Wednesday. None of the closing centers offer procedural abortions.

Appointments at the closing centers will end in March. Planned Parenthood of Illinois will start offering medication abortion through its PPDirect app in February.

Thirteen other centers remain open across the state, and Planned Parenthood will expand appointment availability at the Champaign, Peoria, Springfield and Chicago Roseland facilities as well as online.

Since Roe vs. Wade was overturned in 2022, Planned Parenthood of Illinois has seen a 47 percent increase in overall abortion care patients, according to the organization. Nearly a quarter of all Planned Parenthood of Illinois abortion patients are from out of state, up from 3-5 percent before the decision was overturned, according to Planned Parenthood.

“We made plans for the patient surge however rising care costs and lower reimbursement rates from insurers is jeopardizing PPIL’s sustainability,” Interim President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Illinois Tonya Tucker said in a news release.

“Unfortunately, this is the reality many other Planned Parenthood affiliates are facing in the rapidly evolving health care environment. We are making the difficult decisions today so we can continue providing care tomorrow and well into the future.”

Where possible, staff displaced by the closures will be offered comparable positions at other locations or in telehealth.