Memphis PP fights for program they would operate at a loss?? Why??

 What should have been a cut and dry situation never is that way when Planned Parenthood is involved. As the article noted this mess all started when Yvonne Madlock Director of Shelby County (Memphis)Health Dept. indicated she would not accept all of the Title X monies for family planning services because of capacity issues and insisted she would outsource a portion of it. All other 94 counties in TN provide these services through the health dept. 

Madlock temporized, advising the state Health Department that the Shelby County Health Department was not equipped to provide a full level of services on its own and would have to sub-contract or “partner” with one or more local agencies if it was to administer the entire local package of $1,345,000 in Title X funding. (The portion of the grant being out-sourced is $397,900.)

Previously all of this money was automatically given to Planned Parenthood. This time a Request for Proposal (RFP) was used after pressure from TN citizens came into play. Sounds logical doesn't it. Isn't this Standard Operation Procedure for businesses. Madlock admitted that all 3 bidders met basic standards but based on scores on service related criteria, the recommended provider was Christ Community Health Services.

A six-person panel of officials from the Health Department and county government recommended approval of the bid from Christ Community on the basis of the Center’s higher cumulative score on a checklist of previously established service-related criteria. According to Yvonne Madlock, Health Department director, the aggregate scores were: Christ Community Center, 95.33; Planned Parenthood, 88.88; Memphis Health Center, 84.54.

Over and done and on with business, right?  We want the citizens to have the benefit of the best provider. No....Barry Chase CEO of Planned Parenthood came to whine and complain that they did not know what they were doing when they scored the bidders and PP should win what they acknowledge is a "loss leader."

 Commissioner Heidi Shafer, who chairs the commission’s Hospital and Health Committee, noted pointedly during Wednesday’s discussion that all of the agencies that had bid for the Title X contract would necessarily be operating at a loss.

So Barry Chase being a good CEO is fighting tooth and nail over a contract that is acknowledged to be operated at a loss. Why would he do that? Because $$ is fungible and as former directors of Planned Parenthood Abby Johnson has told us that PP needs tax payers $$ to survive and increase foot traffic for the profitable end of their business....abortion. Listen to her say.....they can't survive without our tax dollars.


Photo: Memphis Flyer