Flathead Family Planning still open

by The Daily Inter Lake
| October 30, 2009 2:00 AM

The pending closure of the Planned Parenthood clinic in Kalispell has caused confusion about the status of the Flathead City-County Health Department's Family Planning office.

"We are open, with no plans to close," County Health Director Joe Russell said in a press release.

Flathead Family Planning has provided reproductive health care since the early 1970s.

Federal funding allows the office to provide physical exams for men and women, contraception, pregnancy testing and sexually transmitted disease testing, treatment and follow-up.

It serves clients on an income-based sliding fee scale.

Flathead Family Planning and the Community Health Center are located on the third floor of the Health Department in the Earl Bennett Building, 1035 First Ave. W. in Kalispell.

The Planned Parenthood office, located at 795 Sunset Blvd., will close Nov. 20 because of a decline in patients, organization officials recently announced.

Planned Parenthood of Montana has set up a travel fund for patients who need to travel to the Missoula clinic for reproductive health services.