Planned Parenthood: Komen A 'Fairly Small' Contributor

Planned Parenthood in Huntington said Friday the decision of the Susan G. Komen for the Cure charity to reverse course and not cut a "fairly small" amount of funding on a national level will have little to no effect in Huntington. 

Although reaction against the decision was immediate and intense across social and mainstream media Friday, Komen is actually not a big contributor to Planned Parenthood, according Beverly Katz, director of marketing, communications and media relations at . Katz said Komen's contribution to Planned Parenthood is "fairly small."

"In the big scheme of things, it really isn't very big," Katz said. "We should not see any change" in Huntington.

Komen grants help provide breast cancer prevention and detection at 19 of the 79 national affiliates, $680,000 in 2011, according to Katz — Huntington receives no funding from the Komen grants, Katz said.

Earlier this week, the Komen foundation decided to change their granting criteria and not fund any organization that might have an investigation going as a result of an anti-planned parenthood congressman from Florida who is looking into whether the organization spent tax dollars on abortions. On Friday, Komen changed their criteria so that they only de-fund organizations that have been found criminally liable.

A Planned Parenthood breast foundation was set up to replace the money that was lost after the initial Komen decision — about $3 million in donations was sent in three days, according to Katz who expects the donations to continue.

"I think there are people that are somewhat annoyed and will continue to support us in a strong financial way," said Katz

Planned Parenthood in Huntington served about 70,000 clients in 2010 through educational and medical programs, according to Katz.