An Emergency Response
On April 1, Missouri Family Health Council’s federal Title X funding was suddenly and indefinitely frozen by the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, and in the meantime, our network of health centers was left hanging in the balance. If Title X funds are not reinstated immediately, clinics across Missouri will be forced to lay off staff, scale back services, or shut down entirely. Tens of thousands of Missourians will be denied life-saving care. This is not theoretical – this is happening now. And this crisis is compounded by the fact that Title X is often the only healthcare touchpoint for our patients. Six in ten women who access contraceptive care at Title X clinics say it’s their only provider. With more than $5 million in funding withheld, we're doing everything we can to keep clinics open and healthcare accessible. From national funders to corporations to individuals donors, everyone has a part to play. When people at every level show up, we build something stronger and more sustainable. Your gift – whatever the size – moves this forward.
Clinics are preparing to close their doors. We have a short window to keep them open. We can do it – but only together. If you’ve been waiting for the right time to act, it’s now.
Who We Are
Missouri Family Health Council (MFHC) champions access for every individual to culturally sensitive, quality, sexual and reproductive health education and services.
We’re making sexual and reproductive healthcare more accessible – regardless of zip code, income, or insurance status – through our three main programs: Title X, The Right Time initiative, and the Free EC project.
We also strengthen the healthcare safety net by reducing barriers to care and advocating for statewide policies that expand access to affordable sexual and reproductive care.
We know this is some of the most important work of our lifetime, so we’re unwavering in our innovative, compassionate, and strategic energy toward challenging systemic oppression and shifting the dynamics of power toward more equitable opportunity and access. Simply put, we do hard work and we do it well.
Service Delivery
A regional healthcare leader, we’re proud to administer sexual and reproductive health programming across Missouri and Oklahoma, with clinics and recipients located across STL and beyond.
Established in 1970, Title X is the nation’s first and only federal program dedicated to providing reproductive and sexual healthcare. Title X primarily serves lower-income populations with affordable, confidential, culturally sensitive healthcare services. On March 31, 2025, the Trump administration froze Title X funds for 16 grantees, including Missouri Family Health Council. This is a loss of over $5 million for Missouri's network of clinics and healthcare centers.
Free EC
MFHC launched our Free EC project in June 2023 to combat misinformation and stigma about and improve access to emergency contraception (EC). Since then, we've distributed over 60,000 kits to people across Missouri!
EC is a type of birth control taken after sex instead of before, and it reduces the chance of pregnancy after unprotected sex, when a birth control method is suspected of failing, or after sexual assault.
The goal of Free EC is to remove as many geographic and financial barriers to birth control as possible by offering completely free, over-the-counter emergency contraception at 60+ participating community distribution centers and via mail.
Policy & Advocacy
MFHC is committed to addressing systemic barriers to improve health equity and access to reproductive healthcare and other safety net services.
We collaborate with health advocates across the state to engage stakeholders, mobilize communities, and advance a shared policy agenda that includes enacting contraceptive equity legislation and defending against legislation negatively impacting the health safety net.
How You Can Help
Supporting MFHC with a financial gift during Give STL Day means helping people in your community build the futures they choose.
Through greater access to sexual and reproductive healthcare services; stronger legislative relationships that build better policy; and greater opportunities for training and resources that allow our clinics to efficiently deliver high-quality, compassionate healthcare to diverse populations across STL and beyond, your gift is helping us be responsive in an ever-changing healthcare landscape.
Give STL Day helps us build an invaluable community of supporters, connected by our shared commitment to reproductive freedom and bodily autonomy for all. Thank you for being in this work with us!