Dear Board of Health,

All health care providers should be regulated, and regulations should
be based on health care needs, not politics. Targeted Regulations
Against Abortion Providers have nothing to do with women's health and
everything to do with limiting access to safe and legal abortion. This
is politics at its worst and women's access to health care is the price
we will pay if you move forward with these regulations.

As currently written, the requirements--specifically the time and
resources required to physically alter health centers for no medical
reason--are likely to increase financial barriers/hurdles for patients
as well as reduce women's ability to find a health care provider.

The current regulations require extensive, medically unnecessary and
inappropriate renovations to meet building standards designed only for
new outpatient surgical hospitals, not existing health centers.

The Board of Health should have rejected Attorney General Cuccinelli's
efforts to intimidate them and stood by their decision to grandfather
existing health centers.

Women in Virginia need better access to affordable, high quality
healthcare, not politically-motivated barriers. Regulations that
genuinely protect the health and safety of patients are critical,
however politically motivated barriers to service put more women at
risk.

Thank you for taking the time to consider my comments. I trust you will
put medicine before politics and reject these onerous and unnecessary
regulations.

Sincerely,

Ms. Meagan Cupka