KNOXVILLE, Tenn. — Almost 3 years ago, a man who claimed to be a member of a group that opposed abortion care set fire to a Planned Parenthood clinic in Knoxville. Wednesday, the healthcare provider hosted a grand opening of its new building built at the site of the arson.
Ashley Coffield, the head of Planned Parenthood of Tennessee and North Mississippi, said she was excited to be officially back in Knoxville to serve its people.
"We're resilient. We've rebuilt and we're here. And today, I feel very hopeful for our future," she said. "When I stood here more than 2 years ago, looking at the rubble from the fire — I felt really angry and almost hopeless. But, we have fought back."
Abortion care has been effectively banned in Tennessee since the arson, but the clinic provides a long list of other kinds of treatments. Ahead of the grand opening event, it saw more than 300 patients who needed birth control, gender-affirming care and several routine services.
"It's so satisfying to know that patients have already been able to find us, that they've heard that we're open," said Coffield. "We weren't just taking care of people in Knoxville. We were taking care of people in East Tennessee more broadly, and even in North Carolina and Virginia."
Planned Parenthood also said it has put extra precautions in place, taking steps to make sure all patients and staff members are safe. The same man who burnt down the clinic in late 2021, Mark Reno, was accused of shooting an "incendiary projectile" from a shotgun into the building months before. Planned Parenthood locations across the country are also usually targets of anti-abortion protestors.
Reno died in custody on separate charges in August 2022.
"We've got great security. We have well-trained staff. We have a good team that's keeping an eye on things here. I feel like this is probably one of the safest places you can possibly go for health care," said Coffield.