Planned Parenthood — CT Numbers — Connecticut by the Numbers

As controversy continues to swirl in the nation’s capital regarding federal funding of Planned Parenthood, a recent tally of Planned Parenthood locations nationwide indicates that Connecticut ranks 4^th in the number of locations within the state, based on the state’s female population. The news organization Bloomberg ranked the U.S. states and the District of Columbia based on the number of Planned Parenthood locations per 100,000 women, ages 15 to 49. Connecticut, with 2.08 locations per 100,000 women, ranked behind Vermont (8.74), Alaska (2.37), and Montana (2.33). Rounding out the top 10 were Washington, Iowa, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, Colorado, and Indiana. images

With 17 locations in Connecticut, the state ranked 14^th in the number of Planned Parenthood locations within the state. The largest number are in California (114), New York (59), Pennsylvania (36), Texas (35), and Washington (32). Also ranked among the top 15 are Ohio (28), New Jersey (26), Florida and Indiana (23), Wisconsin (22), Michigan and Colorado (21), Illinois and Minnesota (18) and Connecticut (17).

Locations of Planned Parenthood Centers in Connecticut include Bridgeport, Danbury, Danielson, Enfield, Hartford, Manchester, Meriden, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Norwich, Old Saybrook, Stamford, Torrington, Waterbury, West Hartford and Willimantic.

According to the organization’s website, Planned Parenthood has 59 unique, locally governed affiliates nationwide operating approximately 700 health centers, "which reflect the diverse needs of their communities."

These health centers provide a wide range of safe, reliable health care — and the majority is preventive, primary care, which helps prevent unintended pregnancies through contraception, reduce the spread of sexually transmitted infections through testing and treatment, and screen for cervical and other cancers, the website points out.

Connecticut ranks #4 in the nation in the number of Planned Parenthood locations per capita, according to a state-by-state analysis. Connecticut, with a total of 17 locations in the state, ranks behind only Vermont, Alaska and Montana in the number of clinics per 100,000 women ages 15-50. According to the analysis by Bloomberg.com, Connecticut’s estimated population of 856,016 women ages 15-50, or a ratio of 1.99 locations per 100,000 women. Rounding out the top 10 are Iowa, Washington, Colorado, Wisconsin, New Hampshire, and Indiana.

The 17 l planned ocations in Connecticut are in Bridgeport, Danbury, Danielson, Enfield, Hartford, Manchester, Meriden, New Britain, New Haven, New London, Norwich, Old Saybrook, Stamford, Torrington, Waterbury, West Hartford and Willimantic.

The mission of Planned Parenthood is to “protect the fundamental right of all individuals to manage their own fertility and sexual health, and to ensure access to the services, education and information to realize that right,” the organization’s website points out.

Among the states with the fewest number of Planned Parenthood locations, and the lowest number per capita, are North Dakota (0 locations), Mississippi (1 location), and Alabama, South Carolina, Louisiana, and Kentucky, each with 2 locations in the state. chart

California has the most locations, with 115, followed by New York with 59, Texas with 39, Pennsylvania with 38, Washington with 33 and New Jersey and Ohio with 28. Connecticut ranks fifteenth in the number of Planned Parenthood locations in the state.

Planned Parenthood’s website describes the organization as “your trusted source for STD/STI testing, birth control, pregnancy tests and counseling, emergency contraception and more - all in a convenient, confidential and safe environment.” The site notes that the organization offers “a sliding fee scale based on your income” and participates with many insurance plans.

Last month, as part of Cervical Health Awareness Month, Planned Parenthood of Southern New England (PPSNE) urged women to “start the year off right by taking charge of their health with important preventive screenings, such as a Pap test, which can detect irregularities that lead to cervical cancer.”

The Centers women for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently released new data showing that while cervical cancer screenings have been proven to save lives, about eight million women ages 21 to 65 have not been screened for cervical cancer in the past five years. More than 12,000 women in the U.S. are diagnosed with cervical cancer each year, and more than half of these cases are in women who have never been screened or in those who haven’t been screened in the past five years, according to Planned Parenthood.