Missouri group meets Emergency Contraception Need
Free EC initiative made possible with Title X funding
Since June, the Missouri Family Health Council has distributed nearly 15,000 emergency contraception kits that contain Plan B, condoms, lube, and other resources. People can get a kit at one of 70 locations or request supplies through the organization’s website.
Michelle Trupiano, executive director of the group, said a wide socioeconomic range of people use the products, though the kits are designed to help poorer people. The effort has come to be known as the Free EC Initiative.
“So, having it in your medicine cabinet just gives people peace of mind that it is there if they need it,” Trupiano said. “So we've had a great response from community partners across the board, from college campuses to folks that work in the domestic and sexual violence arena to folks that work with all sorts of different populations.”
The inception for it came from organizations in Texas and elsewhere that were doing the same thing. Trupiano said the misinformation surrounding birth control and emergency contraception was another primary reason why they wanted to distribute on a wide scale.
“We wanted to combat that misinformation and to do something really proactive,” Trupiano said.
They’ve funded this with Title X family planning service grants. Since 1970, Title X family planning clinics have played a critical role in ensuring access to a broad range of family planning and related preventive health services for millions of low-income or uninsured individuals. According to the Office of Population Affairs, Title X is the only federal grant program dedicated solely to providing individuals with comprehensive family planning and related preventive health services.
This is also part of the The Right Time initiative. Through this effort, health centers across the state are improving access to contraception by providing free or low-cost birth control in 34 locations. The Right Time provides training, assistance, and funding to expand access to the full range of contraceptive methods.
The initiative is focused on offering patients same-day access to all methods of birth control. It has resources that make it easier for people in Missouri, including those who are uninsured or underinsured, to receive quality contraceptive services.
The most significant cost is the medication itself. They’ve been fortunate in having a manufacturer donate emergency contraception.
Their goal was to distribute 5,000 kits between June and December. They ended up helping more than 15,000 people.
“There was obviously a tremendous need that we are meeting,” Trupiano said. “And we're excited to be able to continue to try to meet that need.”