California family‑planning providers warn HHS freeze on Title 10 grants will force layoffs and cut services

At a California State Assembly Subcommittee 1 on Health hearing, panelists testified that the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services temporarily withheld California’s Title 10 family‑planning funds, a move they said will force layoffs and reduce access to contraception, STI testing and other reproductive‑health services for low‑income Californians.

Dr. Nomsa Khalfani, co‑CEO of Essential Access Health, said the organization — California’s Title 10 grantee — was notified that the disbursement for the state’s Title 10 grant “currently $13,200,000 is being temporarily withheld.” Khalfani told the committee that Essential Access and other grantees were given short deadlines to respond to HHS inquiries and that the grantees had received no timeline or explanation for release of funds.

The testimony showed Title 10 underpins a broad network of clinics: Khalfani said the program serves “more than half a million” Californians across nearly 350 health centers and supports services…