BY JESSICA McCOLLEY
As a maternal-child physician, I provide care to some of our state’s most vulnerable populations. Large portions of this area’s people live on the lower end of the income scale, and many do not have health insurance. These populations live in a rural part of the state where medical options are limited and sometimes unavailable.
These are characteristics of communities that can be found throughout West Virginia and the country. They are often forgotten about when we talk about health care access. Low-income people living in rural America continue to struggle to find health care facilities that can appropriately address their needs — and reproductive health care is included in that struggle.
One of the programs that helps ensure people have access to essential reproductive health care, especially in rural communities, is Title X, the nation’s program for affordable birth control and reproductive health care. Title X was created by Congress more than 40 years ago to help women and families who are struggling to make ends meet access birth control, well-woman exams, STI testing, cancer screenings, and other essential care.
In addition, the Title X program plays a critical role in addressing opioid misuse. Title X health centers screen for substance use and help link women to treatment for opioid-related disorders. This is especially vital in rural areas, where the crisis is severe. Title X health centers also connect people to behavioral health treatment when they are diagnosed with substance use disorders. This is important because early identification and treatment for behavioral health conditions are essential to address the opioid epidemic.
It cannot be overstated how important Title X. Nationally, around 4 million people receive care at Title X facilities on an annual basis. Of those 4 million, around two-thirds live below the federal poverty line. Half do not have health insurance. In West Virginia, Title X serves nearly 70,000 people. Yet, 18 percent of our state’s population lives in poverty compared to a 12.3 percent national rate. That means about 327,000 West Virginians live in poverty. Around 144,000 of our state’s residents do not have health insurance. These people are our neighbors, our friends, and our family members and the ones who most need our help.
That’s why I am grateful that Congress recently took steps to protect the Title X program and block a rule from the Office of Budget and Management that would have stripped funding from Title X facilities. Instead the proposal provides an increase in funding for the Title X program. It is important that the West Virginia delegation support both the “Title X Protection” and the funding increase in order to protect this program and to allow our facilities to continue to deliver essential services to our most rural patients.
Our members of Congress must listen to their constituents, to doctors and providers, to patients, and to the most vulnerable among us. They must protect the invaluable Title X program and the services that these facilities provide. People’s lives are depending on it.
Dr. Jessica McColley provides women’s health, prenatal, pediatric and adolescent care at the Riverside Health Center, in Belle, and attends deliveries at CAMC Women and Children’s Hospital.
