Health department fills role by providing contraceptives
By Nick Tabor, New Era Staff Writer
Though
Planned Parenthood agencies are widely known as abortion clinics, they also
offer contraceptive services to women who can’t pay out of pocket and don’t
have insurance. They’re the obvious sources for many women in big cities.
But
the nearest Planned Parenthood agency to Hopkinsville
is in Nashville, Tenn., about 75 miles away.
Instead,
the Christian County Health Department provides contraceptives to all women who
come through its doors seeking them, regardless of their ability to pay, said
Amy Maternowski, the department’s nursing supervisor.
In
the fiscal year that ended in June, the Christian County Health Department
spent $50,441 of its funds from local taxes to buy contraceptives and fund
counseling related to family planning, according to data the department
provided.
