Oregon’s two Planned Parenthood providers covering the state’s southwest and the Columbia-Willamette area will consolidate their operations as financial pressures mount.
Board members for both Oregon branches of the nonprofit nationwide healthcare organization approved the merger Tuesday, allowing the 60-year-old southwestern affiliate to be subsumed by the Columbia Willamette affiliate, which will expand to serve the entire state.
Under the merger, Planned Parenthood clinics in the Eugene-Springfield area, Medford and West Eugene will fall under the purview of a statewide organization: Planned Parenthood of Oregon and Southwest Washington. The official launch is set for Feb. 14.
“Like other rural and nonprofit providers, we are navigating real pressures from rising costs and low reimbursement rates,” said Amy Handler, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Southwestern Oregon, in a statement. “This transition will address that reality head-on and preserve access to high-quality care in our region for the future.”
Congressional Republicans and President Donald Trump blocked Medicaid reimbursements to Planned Parenthood for one year in their 2025 tax and spending cut megalaw, following pressure from anti-abortion groups. The temporary block expired in July 2026 when Medicaid funding was restored, but not after many Planned Parenthood clinics across the U.S. were forced to close.
Federal law has long barred Medicaid funding from going toward abortion services, and 90% of Planned Parenthood healthcare services are unrelated to the procedures. Oregon lawmakers have over the past few years allocated millions of dollars in state funding to Oregon’s Planned Parenthood providers to try to backfill some of the federal cuts.
The consolidation will allow 12 existing Planned Parenthood clinics and a statewide telehealth program to remain afloat. Those clinics are in locations such as Beaverton, Bend, Eugene, Medford, Milwaukie, Ontario, Portland, Salem and Vancouver, Washington. Each will continue to provide birth control, cancer screenings, treatment for sexually-transmitted infections, menopause care and abortion services.
Patients who currently use Planned Parenthood services in Oregon do not need to take any additional action during the consolidation, according to organization officials. The two regional affiliates will continue to operate independently without any changes to services until the official merger in February.
“Moving to one statewide organization that serves the entire region enables us to operate more efficiently strengthens our ability to protect access to care, and allows us to focus more of our energy on what we do best: caring for our patients,” said Sara Kennedy, president and CEO of the Columbia Willamette affiliate.
Oregon Capital Chronicle
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