Editor’s note: This essay is part of Mississippi Today Ideas, a platform for thoughtful Mississippians to share fact-based ideas about our state’s past, present and future. You can read more about the section here.
More than two months have passed since Converge, Mississippi’s sole Title X (“ten”) family planning grantee, had its federal funding withheld — and already, communities across the state are feeling the strain.
More than 90 clinics in Mississippi receive funding from the Title X family planning program to provide care to people in need. However, on April 1, Converge, a Mississippi non-profit, was notified by the US Department of Health and Human Services that the grantee’s Title X funding was being withheld while the agency reviews Converge’s compliance with President Trump’s recent executive orders.
As a patient advocate and someone who has personally relied on Title X-funded services for care, I’ve seen firsthand the difference these clinics make. For many, they are the first—and sometimes only—place to turn to for timely, affordable reproductive health care like birth control, STI testing and treatment, cancer screenings, infertility counseling and more. Today, that care hangs in the balance.
I still remember walking into a Title X clinic at a pivotal moment in my life — uncertain and in need. There, I received not only essential care but also compassionate counseling from providers who treated me with dignity. With Title X-funded providers already forced to stretch scarce dollars, my experience reinforced their critical role in filling a growing need for care across communities.
For so many in Mississippi, these clinics are more than a health care provider. They represent a place of safety and trust.
With Title X funding on hold across the entire state since April 1, providers are working tirelessly to stay open. But the reality is, without critical support made possible by Title X, clinics are being forced to charge for services that were once free or at reduced cost. And for patients, that often means delaying care—or going without it altogether.
These decisions have real consequences. Mississippi already faces the highest maternal mortality rate in the country, with Black women disproportionately affected. Access to preventive, affordable care can help address these disparities — but only if that care remains available.
The Title X program plays a vital role in Mississippi’s health care safety net. Clinics funded by Title X serve thousands of Mississippians every year — many of whom live in rural areas, are uninsured or face other barriers to care. When funding is disrupted or withheld, the impact is felt immediately. It becomes harder for providers to keep their doors open. Staff members face layoffs. And patients lose access to the care they’ve come to rely on.
At Converge, so much progress has been made over the years to create reliable access points to care. The organization has built a statewide provider network grounded in excellent, expanded care into underserved areas through telehealth and clinicians trained in providing patient-centered care. But that progress has now come to an abrupt halt.
I recently traveled to Washington, D.C., to share my story with members of the Mississippi congressional delegation and highlight the extraordinary role that the Title X program plays in people’s lives. Because behind every clinic, every program and every policy are real people — people whose lives and futures depend on continued access to care.
That’s why I’m urging Congress and the Trump administration to act quickly to restore Title X funding. Now more than ever, this program is essential to keeping our communities healthy and strong.
Mississippians deserve reliable access to the care they need to thrive and stay healthy. I hope leaders at every level will listen and respond with the urgency this moment calls for. Lives — and livelihoods — are on the line.
Jasymin Shepherd is a patient advocate with Converge and a kinesiology adjunct instructor at Hinds Community College in Raymond. She also in the past sought care in a Title X-funded setting.
