TAMPA, Fla. — Bay area health facilities that provide women's reproductive health care services and on occasion refer women for abortions are now faced with a difficult choice: discontinue referring women for abortions in order to continue receiving federal funding under Title X or opt out of federal funding entirely.

Four million women in the United States benefit from Title X — a federal grant program that provides funding to low-income women for birth control and reproductive health care. 

But a rule change by the Trump Administration now prohibits Title X funding to go to clinics that refer women for abortions. 

Nearly 5,000 women in Hillsborough County rely on Title X funding for their reproductive health, split almost evenly between two facilities: Tampa Family Health Centers and Suncoast Community Health Centers.

But now those facilities, like many others across the U.S., must decide if they will continue to offer abortion services or continue to receive that funding.

“Suncoast believes they are still going to be able to do their job and take care of patients under the rule," said Kevin Watler, public information officer for the Department of Health in Hillsborough County. "Tampa Family does not believe the rule change will allow them to do so. So they said at the end of this month they’re not going to be offering Title X services any longer in Hillsborough County."

Tampa Family Health CEO Sherry Hoback contradicted Watler's comments when we spoke to her, however. Rather than not offering the services in Hillsborough, Hoback said Tampa Family Health will discontinue their subcontract with the Department of Health of Hillsborough County to receive Title X funding.

Here's Tampa Family Health Centers' full statement:

Tampa Family made the decision not to continue our subcontract with the Hillsborough County Department of Health for Title X funding for Family Planning effective September 30, 2019 and has been working with the staff at the County Health Department to assure proper execution through the termination process.  

In light of this, we are excited to announce that effective October 1, 2019 we are expanding access to Family Planning services from the current seven locations we were limited to under the Title X contract to each of our 14 locations.  Expanding access points for these services will further the mission of our Federally Qualified Health Center to provide quality, caring, accessible health care to a culturally diverse community.  Many of those we serve struggle to get to a center due to transportation barriers, limited appointments and schedule issues as well as costs.  For these reasons, Tampa Family is committed to providing greater access to quality health care to every patient who visits one of our centers regardless of them having health insurance or their ability to pay our low-cost sliding fee scale.  No patients will be denied services or displaced as all of our patients will continue to have access to all of the same services including access to wellness exams/cancer screenings, STD tests, pregnancy tests, prescriptions for contraception, counseling services, etc.  

My team of professional staff, physicians, pharmacists and care coordinators stand ready to serve our community and will continue to grow Tampa Family with new locations and expanded services to meet the needs of our community. 

Currently, 2,700 patients go to Tampa Family Health for these services. They may choose to continue to do so and pay for services on a sliding fee scale or they can join the other 2,300 patients who receive Title X services over at Suncoast.

“We approached Suncoast and said, ‘Hey, we’re going to have quite a few patients, about 2,700 patients, that are going to be left without this service, or these services. Would you be willing to take on these patients?’ And they agreed and we really applaud that effort because that’s really going to help the community,” said Watler.

Suncoast Community Health Centers could not be reached for comment.

Anyone with questions or concerns is encouraged to reach out to the Department of Health in Hillsborough County at 813-307-8066.