The Planned Parenthood on Veterans Highway (Route 413) in Bristol Township will soon close.
The nonprofit health clinic operated by Planned Parenthood Keystone will remain open until the end of March. The office has offered annual women’s health exams, birth control and sexually transmitted disease testing and treatment at the location for years.
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Surgical abortions were not performed at the Bristol Township facility.
“After careful consideration, Planned Parenthood Keystone has made the difficult strategic decision to consolidate health services by closing two centers located in Easton (Northampton County) and Bristol to reduce the costs of duplication associated with running two sites in close proximity to others,” Melissa Reed, president and CEO of Planned Parenthood Keystone, said in a statement to Lehigh Valley Live.
“This decision was not made lightly. It resulted from careful analysis of where our patients live and seek medical care as well as an assessment of how best to ensure the longevity and strength of existing health centers, in order to offer the highest level of patient care for years to come,” Reed explained.
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Planned Parenthood operates a nearby center in the Centre Plaza Shopping Center at 2185 Galloway Road in Bensalem and on Louis Drive in Warminster.
The closure comes as Planned Parenthood has been thrust into the national spotlight over federal funding. The nonprofit that was founded in 1930 does not receive federal funds for abortion services but does receive $500 million in Medicaid reimbursements for various medical services it offers.
Reed told the Morning Call of Allentown that the closure of the Bristol location and similar facility in Easton were not related to politics.
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Toward the end of 2016, Planned Parenthood shuttered three clinics in Central Pennsylvania for reasons similar to this months closure.
Pennsylvania Department of Health statistics for 2015 were released late last year and show nearly 32,000 abortions took place statewide. The number was down by about 300 since the year before.
