Oakland County taxpayers could fund up to $1.5 million in reproductive health services at Planned Parenthood's Ferndale Health Center after the full Board of Commissioners votes Thursday, Aug. 13.

The two-year, no-bid contract would reimburse Planned Parenthood of Michigan for cancer screenings, STI testing and treatment, contraceptives, wellness exams and telehealth visits for Oakland County residents through August 2028. The Ferndale clinic will be one of the last Planned Parenthood locations in the Detroit area after the organization closes centers in Livonia, Warren and Lansing later this year, as announced July 30. The Livonia and Warren clinics had served Oakland County residents, including those in the Rochester Hills area.

Board of Commissioners Chairman David T. Woodward, a Royal Oak Democrat, called the contract emergency funding. He told MLive the county needed to act from a public-health perspective because Planned Parenthood lost federal Title X family planning reimbursements under Trump administration rule changes. Woodward called it a significant expenditure but said thousands of residents could lose their only healthcare option if the county did not step in.

Both the Public Health and Safety Committee and the Finance Committee advanced the resolution on Aug. 6, according to WJR. Democrats hold a majority on the board, and the measure is expected to pass.

Planned Parenthood of Michigan CEO Paula Thornton Greear told the finance committee the Ferndale clinic faces a $1 million operating gap. Between June 30, 2025, and July 1, 2026, the center provided more than 7,000 STI tests and 4,000 cycles of birth control to Oakland County residents, she said.

The contract is three times larger than a similar $500,000 agreement commissioners approved in 2019 to keep the same clinic open.

Not everyone supports the deal.

Commissioner Chris Long, a Wolverine Lake Republican, opposes the contract. Long cited a $50,000 donation from Planned Parenthood Advocates of Michigan, the organization's lobbying arm, to Democrat Jocelyn Benson's gubernatorial campaign and called it a conflict of interest.

"I want to see where every dime of Oakland County taxpayers' money went to Planned Parenthood of the $1.5 million," Long said at the Aug. 6 committee hearing, pressing for a full audit.

Commissioner Angela Powell, a Pontiac Democrat who supports the contract, agreed to back Long's audit request for transparency. Powell told the committee she personally used Planned Parenthood services as a teenager.

Annette Longtine, a Rose Township resident active with Right to Life of Metro Detroit, told the finance committee she had identified 22 federally qualified health providers that she said offer most of the same services without abortions. Right to Life of Michigan said in a statement that the proposed contract amounts to a cash infusion disguised as healthcare.

Commissioner Yolanda Smith Charles, a Southfield Democrat, acknowledged the funding question created a conflict with her personal faith but said she was elected to represent her district. Finance Committee Chair Gwen Markham said the contract serves young people, seniors and LGBTQ residents with no other healthcare option.

The full board meets at 9:30 a.m. Thursday, Aug. 13, in the commissioners' auditorium at 1200 N. Telegraph Road in Pontiac. The meeting is open to the public.