(This story was revised to correct the history of Planned Parenthood’s presence in Lakeland.)
Planned Parenthood is ending its presence of decades in Polk County, part of a national trend following changes in government policies.
The nonprofit announced that it will close its Lakeland clinic on March 13. The clinic is located at 2250 E. Edgewood Drive, in the Ruthven Center II shopping plaza.
Planned Parenthood has operated at least one clinic in Polk County since the late 1970s, according to a former employee. The Central Florida Health Council opened a center in 1970, and it later become affiliated with Planned Parenthood.
In 1993, the nonprofit opened a clinic in Winter Haven, at which abortions were offered. That center closed in 2016.
The Lakeland clinic did not provide abortions, even before a state law took effect in 2024 limiting abortions to the first six weeks of pregnancy.
A notice of closure posted Feb. 16 in English and Spanish on the door of the Planned Parenthood clinic said the final day of medical services by appointment will be March 6.
“This outcome is the direct result of escalating government attacks that have blocked patients using Medicaid from accessing essential reproductive health care across Florida and the country,” Michelle Quesada, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Florida, said by email. “The Lakeland Health Center served a significant number of patients who used Medicaid insurance plans to access a range of preventive care, including life-saving cancer screenings, birth control, testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections, and virtual mental health care.”
A provision in the “One Big Beautiful Bill Act,” signed into law by President Trump on July 4, 2025, defunded Planned Parenthood and blocked its clinics from accepting Medicaid. The organization worked to ensure continuity for patients using Medicaid by providing care for urgent visits and completing ongoing treatment plans at no cost, Quesada said.
“We have always known this approach was not sustainable in the long term,” Quesada wrote. “While we have supported patients in transitioning to alternate providers, efforts to permanently block Planned Parenthood from accepting Medicaid at the national level — and parallel efforts to codify that provision into state law — pose a serious and lasting threat to public health.”
The actions would permanently cut off patients covered by Medicaid from Planned Parenthood health centers, Quesada said. At this point, 23 Planned Parenthood clinics around the country have been forced to close because of the loss of Medicaid, she said.
That has left thousands of patients with few options for health care and higher costs, Quesada said.
“While this was an incredibly difficult decision, it does not change our commitment to the people of Polk County and the surrounding region,” Quesada said. “Patients will continue to have uninterrupted access to high-quality, compassionate care at all PPFL health centers — including Tampa, Orlando, and Kissimmee — and via Telehealth, where we have recently expanded services to help fill gaps created by these politically motivated barriers.”
‘We will continue standing with our patients’
Planned Parenthood has long offered services on a sliding scale, based on a patient’s income level. The organization has compiled a list of other providers in the area, including Federally Qualified Health Centers, for its patients, Quesada said.
The notice posted at the Lakeland clinic said that patients may obtain their medical records there through March 13 and after that at any Planned Parenthood location or by calling 800-230-7526. Records are also available online through MyChart, the notice said.
The Lakeland clinic offered birth control, emergency contraception, HIV services, pregnancy testing, prenatal and postpartum services, STD testing and treatment, vaccinations, wellness and preventive care, according to its website.
The site began offering services for transgender patients in 2016, The Ledger reported at the time. In recent years, Florida has imposed new restrictions on the availability of gender-supporting care.
Six employees are affected by the closure, Quesada said. Planned Parenthood has offered them the possibility of filling positions at the nearest health centers.
“Planned Parenthood remains steadfast in our mission to provide care, no matter what, and we will continue standing with our patients and communities in the face of ongoing political attacks on reproductive health,” Quesada said.
Lakeland’s Paula Mims, a longtime supporter of Planned Parenthood, lamented the move.
“PP has had such a long presence in Lakeland, providing solid gynecological and obstetric care by licensed and compassionate medical staff and physicians here,” Mims said by text message. “Any time we lose that kind of care it creates a hole in the system of healthcare for young women particularly. I am sad to see them go.”
Planned Parenthood traditionally drew patients who might not feel comfortable visiting a conventional medical center, especially those in the LGBTQ population. Patients said they did not feel judged as they discussed their sexual activities.
“I tried so many different clinics, and nobody made me feel comfortable, made me feel at home,” one patient told The Ledger for a 2015 article. “I refuse to go anywhere else. … It seems like these women are my sisters, my friends, my confidants, my psychologists. Nothing is off limits here.”
Other providers around Polk County
Other providers in Polk County offer at least some of the same services at discounted rates or no charge.
Rose Dynasty Center, a facility that opened in 2025 at 1253 W. Memorial Blvd. in Lakeland, offers LGBTQ-friendly services through Pineapple Healthcare. Jason DeShazo, the center’s director, said his staff will be reaching out to Planned Parenthood patients.
Diversity Healthcare, with offices in Haines City and Winter Haven, provides gender-affirming care and HIV treatment. Central Florida Health Care, a nonprofit with several facilities in Polk County, provides services on a sliding scale.
Some facilities, including Options for Women, based in Lakeland, offer free pregnancy tests and STD testing but do not provide contraception or refer for abortions.
Gary White can be reached at gary.white@theledger.com or 863-802-7518. Follow on X @garywhite13.
This article originally appeared on The Ledger: Planned Parenthood will close Lakeland clinic, end Polk County presence
Reporting by Gary White, Lakeland Ledger / The Ledger
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