A Phoenix-based nonprofit that provides inclusive health care joined a lawsuit challenging three of the Trump Administration’s early executive orders impacting the LGBTQ+ community.
“These organizations rely on federal funding to provide life-saving and life-affirming services,” said Jose Abrigo, the lead attorney on the case with Lambda Legal. “Yet under these executive orders, their funding is being threatened or outright revoked simply because they acknowledge the reality of the people they serve.”
Abrigo’s argument that the orders are vague and impossible to comply with is echoed in the lawsuit, which lays out the kind of legal Catch-22 that Prisma Community Care finds itself in, keeping its federal funding by violating the terms and requirements of other funding streams, like grants.
Jessyca Leach, CEO of Prisma Community Care, said the stress of uncertainty has put a difficult choice on the clinic’s plate, especially as they try to continue serving patients.
“We are providing care to our existing patients and we are partnering with other agencies that are less dependent on federal funding to ensure clients and patients continue to get the care they need,” said Leach. “Phoenix Children’s Hospital also had to stop care for minors and so we’re making sure that everyone can get routed to the appropriate care.”
If Prisma loses access to federal funding, it could mean firing almost half their total staff. The lawsuit has been filed in California.
“The orders are vague, use undefined terms, and make compliance impossible and enforcement arbitrary,” said Abrigo. “Our plaintiffs have no way of knowing which programs, policies, or even words might result in penalties.”
The plaintiffs argue that puts organizations like Prisma in a fundamentally discriminatory position.
