Tuesday, February 21, 2012
YOUNGSTOWN
The merger of Planned Parenthood of Central Ohio, Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio and Planned Parenthood Affiliates of Ohio will not affect the operation of the organization’s Youngstown Health Center on the South Side.
The three Ohio Planned Parenthood organizations will become Planned Parenthood of Greater Ohio effective July 1.
It will serve 68 of Ohio’s 88 counties and be an affiliate of Planned Parenthood Federation of America, said Celeste Ribbins, vice president of community initiatives for Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio, with which the Youngstown Health Center, 77 E. Midlothian Blvd., is affiliated.
Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio’s main office in Akron will continue to operate its health center and some staff in the area of billing; education and regional health services will remain, said Ribbins, who also has oversight of staff that conducts the Healthy Moms, Healthy Babies program in Mahoning County.
The merger does not include 20 Planned Parenthood organizations with headquarters in Cincinnati that have not yet joined the merger, she said.
Ribbins said the merger will not affect access to and services offered at the Youngstown Health Center. She noted that about $500,000 was spent last year to renovate the facility.
She said Planned Parenthood affiliates have been considering the July 1 merger for about a year.
She said some of the issues pushing the merger are the need for increased operational efficiency to prepare for capital expenditures required by health-care reform such as an electronic medical- record-keeping system, and a stronger political voice in a “dramatically changing political landscape at the state and federal levels.”
Also, the consolidation follows a trend of affiliate mergers. Other recent statewide mergers include Arizona, Illinois and Iowa.
The new Ohio organization and its chief executive officer will be based in Columbus. Regional program and management staff around the state will oversee local health centers, education and outreach programs and fundraising, she said.
The agencies’ commitment to providing top-notch care to patients regardless of their ability to pay will not change. There will be no change in how patients access services, Ribbins said.
More than 96 percent of what Planned Parenthood does in Ohio is cancer screening, birth control, prevention and treatment of sexually transmitted diseases, breast-health services, Pap tests, sexual-health education and information.
Planned Parenthood of Northeast Ohio provides essential reproductive-health care, family- planning services and sexuality education to 72,000 women and men at 13 health centers in 21 counties throughout Northeast Ohio, Ribbins said.