Why it matters?
Title X is a federal program that offers grants to health providers to provide voluntary and confidential family planning services to patients. If the county had rejected this funding, it would face a shortfall that could potentially lead to a reduction in services if the funding could not be found elsewhere.
Documented by Dani Huerta
What happened: The Tulare County Board of Supervisors met on Dec. 13, 2022 and debated whether to accept grant funding of up to $120,000 to provide Title X family planning services.
In a 3-2 vote, the item was ultimately approved with Supervisor Townsend and Micari voting against accepting the funding, which supports family-related health needs and education, including services for adolescents ages 12-17, but does not include abortions.
Supervisor Townsend said he pulled the item from the consent agenda for clarification on whether the funding included abortion services. Public Health Director Karen Elliot said that as required by law, abortion funding is separate from Title X funding.
Elliot said the funding also supports counseling and education about pregnancy prevention, as well as reporting child sexual abuse.
And also: An agreement between the County of Tulare and City of Lindsay for joint participation in the Permanent Local Housing Allocation funding program was approved. The county can now apply for funding on the behalf of the City of Lindsay because Lindsay cannot accept the funds directly.
What’s next: The Tulare County Board of Supervisors‘ first meeting of 2023 will occur on Jan. 10, 2023.