As President Donald Trump’s executive orders continue to impact healthcare in the United States, several health clinics are facing significant disruptions due to a freeze on essential federal funding. Interviews with healthcare providers and policy advocates reveal that the financial squeeze is forcing clinics to scale back services or shut down operations.
Facilities in Virginia and West Virginia have been forced to close primary care clinics and lay off staff, while others in California and Virginia are grappling with notices of termination for federal grants that support HIV prevention care.
Some of these funding cuts follow the Trump administration’s directives to dismantle diversity, gender, and inclusion programs, while also recognizing only male and female genders. Other cuts appear to be connected to a freeze on federal spending that was only recently lifted.
A Reuters analysis found that billions of dollars in congressionally approved funding for various sectors, including clean energy, remain frozen due to orders issued by the Trump administration.
David C. Harvey, executive director of the National Coalition of STD Directors, expressed concern over the situation: “There is mass confusion. We expect that interruption will grow if there is not clarity from federal agencies in the coming hours and days.” He emphasized that the halted funds are crucial for paying staff, rent, and providing healthcare supplies.
The Department of Health and Human Services did not respond to a request for comment.
Virginia Health Centers Hit Hard
In Virginia, three community health centers near Richmond were forced to close after federal funds to pay staff salaries became inaccessible, according to Joe Stevens, a spokesperson for the Virginia Community Healthcare Association. By Friday, another nine centers across the state were still unable to access federal funds, though they continued to operate using reserve money.
Stevens noted the uncertainty surrounding the issue, saying, “They will need money in the next week. We don’t know why some centers can access funds and some cannot.”
Virginia’s community health centers provide critical medical, dental, behavioral health, pharmaceutical, and substance use services to around 400,000 patients, especially in rural areas where they are often the only primary care option. One such center, located in southwestern Virginia, remains unable to access federal funding. In this area, the nearest alternative healthcare facility is over an hour’s drive away.
Although many providers have resumed accessing Medicaid and grants since the spending freeze was lifted, some still face challenges in obtaining payments for essential services, including medical care, dental treatment, prescription drugs, and behavioral health.
“It’s literally changing moment to moment,” said Alison Barkoff, a health law expert at George Washington University.
West Virginia’s Struggles with Disability Services
In Charleston, West Virginia, the Appalachian Center for Independent Living faced a similar crisis. The center, which provides disability services, was cut off from federal funds for over a week, forcing the organization to lay off three out of its five staff members. After regaining access to funding, the center offered to rehire the employees, but two chose not to return, citing financial instability as a major concern.
“We don’t have any other choice but to push through and do what we need to do to keep the center running,” said Meredith Pride, the center’s executive director.
HIV Care Programs Under Threat
Late last week, several healthcare centers providing HIV prevention services, as well as care for transgender patients, received notices that their grants from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) would be terminated. These cuts were linked to the Trump administration’s executive orders on gender identity and diversity.
St. John’s Well Child and Family Center, a network of public health centers in Los Angeles, was notified that it could not access $746,000 of a $1.6 million grant designed to provide prevention, testing, and treatment to about 500 transgender individuals at risk for HIV and other infections.
“We have made a decision not to cut back any programs because of any threats from the federal government,” said Jim Mangia, President of St. John’s. The center has joined a lawsuit filed by California’s attorney general challenging the funding cuts and plans to seek private funding to make up for the loss.
In Norfolk, Virginia, the LGBT Life Center received a letter stating that $6.3 million—nearly half of its annual budget—would be terminated. This funding supports the center’s services for 400 HIV patients. Spokesperson Corey Mohr expressed concerns that cutting the center’s HIV-related programs would result in higher treatment costs and worse health outcomes, particularly if more patients experience acute symptoms that require more complex care.
As these healthcare providers continue to navigate the uncertainty of federal funding, the long-term impact on vulnerable populations remains unclear.
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