Reproductive Health Collaborative is a 501(c)(3) committed to ensuring that all Nebraskans have equitable access to high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare. We support this access and our partners by facilitating braided federal and private funding, serving as a trusted and approachable advisor, and advancing a statewide network.
Title X is the only federal family planning program dedicated to providing low- and no-cost reproductive healthcare.
For some 2.8 million Americans each year, Title X serves as the final safety net for services other programs don’t cover. Last year, nearly 24,000 Nebraskans received essential care made possible through our Title X network, most of whom were low-income and/or uninsured.
Now, after a sudden round of mass layoffs in the Office of Population Affairs, this 55-year-old bipartisan family planning program is at risk, putting the future of reproductive healthcare access in jeopardy across Nebraska and beyond.
As the state’s sole Title X administrator, Reproductive Health Collaborative Nebraska partners with 10 healthcare agencies at 30 clinical sites spanning from Omaha to Gering to deliver high-quality, person-centered reproductive care.
Title X ensures Nebraskans access to crucial care, including:
- STI and HIV testing and treatment
- Pregnancy testing and counseling
- Breast and cervical cancer screenings
- Contraceptive counseling
- Basic infertility counseling and services
- Other preconception and preventative services
Without OPA staff to carry out the Title X program, its future—and the future of public health—is uncertain at best. Decades of progress in contraceptive access, STI reduction and prevention, and maternal and infant health could be reversed.
This is particularly ominous for Nebraskans living in rural areas with limited healthcare infrastructure. To make matters worse, for many low-income and/or uninsured Nebraskans, a Title X-funded provider is the only healthcare provider they ever see. Nationally, 60% of women who receive Title X care report that Title X-funded providers are the only healthcare providers they have access to.
While thousands of Nebraskans are left to wonder what these layoffs will mean for their essential sexual and reproductive healthcare, one thing is certain, Reproductive Health Collaborative Nebraska remains committed to ensuring equitable access to high-quality sexual and reproductive healthcare.
While the full picture has yet to come into focus, Reproductive Health Collaborative Nebraska will continue to monitor this situation and share information as updates emerge. To receive these updates, sign up for our newsletter and follow us on social media.
What else can you do?
Share this article with your network and help educate Nebraskans on the importance of Title X funding and the Reproductive Health Collaborative Nebraska network to our state’s public health outcomes, our families, and our communities.