Board Chair Woodward introduces plan to save Planned Parenthood in Oakland County

In response to persistent federal cuts and threats to healthcare funding, Oakland County Board of Commissioners Chair David T. Woodward (D-Royal Oak) announced an emergency funding plan to support access to preventive and reproductive health services through a contract with Planned Parenthood of Michigan.

Through their One Big Beautiful Bill Act, the Trump administration and congressional Republicans took steps to defund Planned Parenthood by blocking Medicaid reimbursement for health services such as sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing, contraception and other reproductive health services. Additionally, the Trump administration reduced Title X federal funding to Planned Parenthood.  As a result, Planned Parenthood of Michigan is facing serious economic solvency conditions.

Highlights of Woodward’s proposed plan include:

• Allocation of up to $1.5 million to Oakland County Health Division to contract with Planned Parenthood for health services through August 2028.

• Planned Parenthood would receive reimbursement payments for eligible in-person and telehealth services such as cancer screenings, annual wellness exams, STI testing and treatment, contraception and reproductive health counseling.

• Keep the Planned Parenthood clinic in Ferndale, Mich., open at least through August 2028.

• Continued access to reproductive healthcare services for Oakland County residents.

The appropriated funds would be allocated to the Oakland County Health Division to contract with Planned Parenthood of Michigan for support of eligible healthcare services to Oakland County residents. Planned Parenthood of Michigan would be reimbursed by the county at a contractually agreed upon rate based on service.

“As the Trump administration and Congress follow through on their promise to defund Planned Parenthood, we will fight harder to fund necessary and valuable reproductive health for Oakland County residents,” said Woodward. “We stand with the thousands who rely on and need Planned Parenthood for preventive and reproductive healthcare.”

Statistics show the nonprofit to be an established and accessible health services provider, with more than 6,000 visits made to Planned Parenthood of Michigan health centers by Oakland County residents between July 2025 and June 2026.

“This proposed investment represents a crucial, long-standing commitment to protecting sexual and reproductive healthcare in our region,” said Paula Thornton Greear, President and CEO of Planned Parenthood of Michigan. “As we face continued attacks that target our funding and our patients, the county is delivering a practical solution to bridge the gap. We are grateful to Chair Woodward for introducing this resolution, and we look forward to working with the Board toward its adoption in August.”

The proposed plan will be discussed during the Oakland County Board of Commissioners Public Health and Safety Committee on August 5, 2026, before being considered by the full Board at the scheduled August 13, 2026, meeting. If adopted, Oakland County would join Washtenaw County in using county resources to protect healthcare services for its residents.

In 2019, the Board of Commissioners approved $500,000 in funding to maintain Title X reproductive health care services through Planned Parenthood after federal rules made the organization ineligible to receive federal funds.

For additional information about the Board of Commissioners, visit OakGov.com/BOC.

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