Planned Parenthood's Tyler facility, located at 601 Turtle Creek Dr., ended its in-person services on July 17. The Tyler branch now offers only telehealth appointments, according to its website and a sign posted on its office door. (Jennifer Scott/Tyler Morning Telegraph)

Planned Parenthood’s Tyler facility closed its physical location last week but continues to offer virtual services.

The health center, located at 601 Turtle Creek Dr., ended its in-person services on July 17. The Tyler branch now offers only telehealth appointments, according to its website and a sign posted on its office door.

Operated by Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas Inc., the Tyler facility provided birth control education and supplies; pregnancy testing and counseling; testing for sexually transmitted diseases; testing and treatment for urinary tract infections; and emergency contraception often known as the “morning-after pill” which can be taken after unprotected sex to prevent pregnancy. The center did not perform abortions, which are illegal in Texas.

Prior to the official office closure, the Tyler facility had already limited its services. It was no longer offering in-person appointments and was open just for medication refills, according to its website.

Telehealth appointments remain available Monday through Friday.

“For 90 years, Texans have relied on Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas for essential sexual and reproductive healthcare and education. Last year, Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas health centers served nearly 75,000 patients through more than 133,000 appointments for birth control including IUDs and implants, breast and cervical cancer screenings, annual wellness exams, STI testing and treatment, menopause services, pregnancy testing, treatment for UTIs, HIV tests, HPV vaccines, and more,” the organization said Tuesday in a statement emailed to the Tyler Morning Telegraph. “This year, we made the strategic decision to transition healthcare services in the Tyler area to telehealth via the Greater Texas Virtual Health Center and close our health center on Turtle Creek Drive for in-person appointments. Patients were notified of this update this month.”

The closure comes as the U.S. federal administration aims to defund the organization on a national scale. In early July when the U.S. House and Senate passed a bill to stop funding, the Greater Texas branch called it a “blatant political attack on reproductive health care.”

“One in three Planned Parenthood health centers could be forced to close, cutting off access to essential reproductive healthcare services …” the organization wrote on its Facebook page. “Let’s be clear: Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas health centers are NOT closing. We’ve faced this challenge before. When Texas ‘defunded’ Planned Parenthood health centers in 2021, we adapted, persisted, and continued to provide care for patients counting on us.”

This week, a federal judge extended an order that blocked President Donald Trump’s administration from enforcing a provision of the One Big, Beautiful Bill Act to defund the organization’s health care services. U.S. District Judge Indira Talwani partially granted Planned Parenthood’s request for a preliminary injunction amid its lawsuit.

Meanwhile, East Texans opposed to Planned Parenthood’s services say they are pleased to see the Tyler facility close its physical doors. Mark Lee Dickson, an East Texas pro-life advocate and anti-abortion activist, wrote on his Facebook page “good riddance” to the facility’s in-person closure. Dickson hopes to see other Texas centers, including the one in Paris, follow suit.

Daniel Alders, House District 6 representative from Tyler, confirmed the news of the closure, writing “God is good” on his Facebook page.

The Paris facility, located at 1735 17th Street NE in Paris, remains open for in-person services.

This is a developing story.