Planned Parenthood Great Rivers to Feature Mobile Clinic to Demonstrate Commitment to “Care, No Matter Where” August 19 and 20

CHICAGO — Continuing Planned Parenthood’s mission to provide “care, no matter where,” Planned Parenthood Great Rivers (PPGR) is providing free vasectomies, medication abortion, and emergency contraception from a mobile clinic that will be located in the West Loop neighborhood, August 19 and 20.

The mobile clinic is a demonstration of the possibilities when states like Illinois work to support, rather than restrict, access to affordable health care. Meeting patients where they are by offering the mobile clinic’s services in busy areas is yet another continuation of Planned Parenthood’s unending efforts to improve accessibility and expand services for Illinois residents. It is also another way to address the influx of patients coming to Illinois for care as surrounding states continue to enact severe restrictions on reproductive care, including extreme abortion bans. 
 

Statement from Dr. Colleen McNicholas, Chief Medical Officer, Planned Parenthood Great Rivers

“Accessibility is a core value at Planned Parenthood Great Rivers, and our mobile health clinic helps us bring care to more people who need it. We are excited to provide essential health care at no cost in partnership with Chicago Abortion Fund and the Wieners Circle. As people from across the country travel to Illinois this week, we are proud to demonstrate what is possible when policies truly support accessible reproductive health care.”

Statement from Jennifer Welch, President and CEO, Planned Parenthood of Illinois

“Illinois has welcomed more abortion care patients than any other state, and Planned Parenthood of Illinois continues to meet the rising flood of patients forced to travel from their home to get essential services like abortion and gender-affirming care. We are proud to take an active role in providing care at our health centers and through our partnership with the mobile unit.” 

Statement from Megan Jeyifo, Executive Director, Chicago Abortion Fund (CAF)

“Since the Dobbs decision, the Chicago Abortion Fund has fielded over 25,000 support requests from people based in 44 states, and distributed over $7.5 million in direct support for appointment costs and travel support. It is undeniable that Illinois has shifted from a regional access point for abortion care to a national one, and we work hard every day at CAF to ensure that the protections that we have built here in Illinois are accessible for all — no matter who they are, where they are traveling from, or how much money they make. Whether on our helpline, or through events like this, we remain committed to resourcing our communities near and far with the support, affirmation, information, and resources they need to access the abortion care they want, need, and deserve.

“All people deserve to have access to abortion care free of financial hurdles, and without interference and that is what we are doing here with our partners today.”

Statement from the Wieners Circle

“We joke a lot at the Wieners Circle, but there’s nothing funny about the state of reproductive health care in this country. We believe deciding whether to start a family is a fundamental human right. Part of that is being able to make decisions about how you go about either having children or preventing having children. Reproductive health decisions should be up to the patient, not the government. We are proud to join Planned Parenthood and the Chicago Abortion Fund and support their important work.”

The mobile clinic is operating Monday, August 19 and Tuesday, August 20, between noon and 7 p.m. CDT both days. All appointments have been booked. Patients can make an appointment at a Planned Parenthood of Illinois health center in Chicago by visiting www.ppil.org. Providers, as well as representatives from Chicago Abortion Fund and the Wieners Circle, can be made available for interviews in advance. 

Planned Parenthood health centers in Illinois provide the full spectrum of sexual and reproductive health care including procedural abortion, medication abortion, emergency contraception, gender-affirming care, family planning services including birth control, STI testing and treatment, and vasectomies. Planned Parenthood appointments can be made at plannedparenthood.org/book or by calling 1-800-230-PLAN.