photo by: Josie Heimsoth/Journal-World

The Community Health Facility, 200 Maine St. is pictured Tuesday, February 25, 2025.

Lawrence-Douglas County Public Health will assume responsibility for administering federal family planning funds for low-income and uninsured residents in the community starting July 2026.

After taking over from LDCPH in 2023, Heartland Community Health Center was awarded the Title X Family Planning Grant by the Kansas Department of Health and Environment, positioning it as the county’s primary provider. Christine Ebert, director of clinic services at LDCPH, said in an email to the Journal-World that the transition back to LDCPH reflects a shared commitment by both organizations to strengthen the local system of family-planning services.

Title X is a federal program that offers funding for family planning and other preventive health services to individuals with low incomes or those who are uninsured or underinsured. It supports a variety of services, including contraception, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and breast and cervical cancer screenings.

“(LDCPH) and Heartland Community Health Center evaluated community needs and capacity and together determined that returning the program to LDCPH will best support long-term stability, expanded access points, and continuity of care for residents,” Ebert said.

Rachel Hartford, chief operating officer at Heartland, said in an email that “managing multiple sets of compliance standards initially presented an administrative challenge” with the responsibility of the Title X grant.

“However, through strong partnerships and shared learning, we were able to overcome these hurdles and successfully deliver services to our patients,” Hartford said.

According to a joint statement from both organizations, LDCPH has the clinical infrastructure and public health experience to administer the grant and continue delivering high-quality care to individuals regardless of income or insurance status.

“Both agencies have remained close partners throughout these transitions, and each shift has been made intentionally to ensure the community receives the strongest service model at any given time,” Ebert said. “Capacity, staffing and program alignment can vary, and the organizations have worked collaboratively to position the program where it can be most effectively managed.”

Ebert said the transition is meant to improve the community’s access to family-planning and reproductive services.

“Rather than being a sign of instability, the transitions reflect a responsive and coordinated approach to meeting community needs,” Ebert said.

Heartland will continue to offer family planning services through its designation as a Federally Qualified Health Center, the statement said, providing comprehensive primary care, dental, and mental health services to underserved areas and populations, regardless of a patient’s insurance or ability to pay.

“Heartland Community Health Center will continue offering care, and LDCPH will add these services, creating an additional access point for residents,” Ebert said. “This ensures services remain available while expanding capacity, improving convenience, and maintaining affordability. Overall, the shift is designed to reduce gaps and increase access to high-quality reproductive health services across the community.”

The transition of Title X being managed by LDCPH comes at a time when federal funding for the program is uncertain. Some of the program’s challenges have included chronic underfunding and recent funding freezes and cuts from the Trump administration.

“Over the past few years, we have strengthened our clinic’s operational capacity, staffing, and infrastructure, which positions us well to begin offering expanded reproductive health services in July 2026 and gives us the flexibility to adapt if funding changes,” Ebert said.

Ebert said more information will be available on the health department’s website and social media on how to access family-planning and reproductive services from LDCPH beginning in July 2026.