LAKELAND, Fla. — After more than 50 years, Planned Parenthood is closing its Lakeland clinic, ending its presence in Polk County.
“My first visit to the gynecologist was a Planned Parenthood in South Florida,” said Kim-Marie Noble.
WATCH: Planned Parenthood will close Lakeland clinic, leaving patients facing uncertainty
Noble has been going to Planned Parenthood since she was a teenager. To hear that the only one in Polk County is closing is devastating.
“I tend to have to search for a doctor that takes my insurance. So, hearing that it was closing down I was in a scramble to try and find somebody,” Noble said.
She said only one other healthcare center in Lakeland accepts her health insurance, and her tight budget leaves her with few choices.
“A lot of us, especially if we’re going to Planned Parenthood we don't have the extra cash to go somewhere else. We need those services. So, to find out that, that was closing, I know I'm not the only one. There are thousands like me here in Polk County that have to find help elsewhere,” Noble said.
Planned Parenthood announced it will close its Lakeland clinic on March 13. The clinic provided services like mammograms, birth control, STD testing, and prenatal and postpartum care.
The nonprofit said a provision in the "One Big Beautiful Bill Act," signed into law by President Donald Trump on July 4, 2025, defunded Planned Parenthood and blocked its clinics from accepting Medicaid.
The anti-abortion rights organization, Susan B. Anthony Pro-life America, praised the move.
“Defunding abortion businesses, led by Planned Parenthood, marks the greatest pro-life victory since the Dobbs decision,” said Marjorie Dannenfelser, SBA Pro-Life America President in a statement.
The Lakeland clinic did not provide abortions, even before a 2024 state law limited abortions to the first six weeks of pregnancy.
According to the group, this is the 24th Planned Parenthood center to close nationwide following the loss of Medicaid funding.
“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," Michelle Quesada, a spokesperson for Planned Parenthood of Florida, said by email.
Noble is anxious about the future.
“Women’s healthcare is healthcare. The preventative measures that are going to be lost with the closing of these clinics. Mammograms; pap smears, these are things that detect cancer,” Noble said.
The final day of medical services is set for March 6, with the Lakeland location officially closing one week later.
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