President Joe Biden’s proposed $512 million for Title X family planning programs could result in expanded resources that positively impact more lives in Arizona through unbiased, medically based sexual and reproductive health services, according to Bré Thomas, CEO at Affirm, formerly Arizona Family Health Partnership, Arizona’s designated Title X agency.

            President Biden’s 2024 budget recommended the historic investment in Title X as part of the first formal step in the Fiscal Year 2024 funding cycle.

Title X is the federally administered grant program that funds Affirm which, in turn, distributes funds to health centers providing low- or no-cost services like birth control, sexually transmitted infection (STI) testing and treatment, pregnancy testing, cancer screenings, counseling and other preventative services. More than 50 Title X-funded health centers across Arizona provide sexual and reproductive healthcare services to an average of 35,000 people annually.

“Sexual and reproductive healthcare is vital to our overall health, particularly at a time when the reproductive health crisis continues to deepen in communities nationwide,” Thomas said. “We fully support President Biden’s efforts to bring these healthcare services to more individuals, not just in Arizona but across the country. His budget recommendations underscore a strong and needed investment in safety-net family planning providers, an essential component of the public health network.”

            Through Title X funding, individuals have access to voluntary sexual and reproductive health services including:

§  Reproductive health counseling and education on birth control methods.

§  Pregnancy testing, counseling, and resources.

§  Pelvic exams, including Pap smears.

§  Breast exams.

§  Basic infertility screening.

§  Emergency contraception.

For more information about Affirm, visit www.affirmaz.org.