Field Placement: California Family Health Council, Emergency Contraception Initiative
Location: Los Angeles, CA
Preceptor: Anna Garcia, Project Director
Student Name: Megan Grimm
Year: 2004

The California Family Health Council is a non-profit agency responsible for distribution of federal Title X funding in California, as well as a prominent research facility in the field of reproductive health and contraception. The EC Initiative is a special project of the research department.

This project, now in its fourth year, aims to increase awareness of and access to Emergency Contraception (EC) in California. Though it has been around for over 20 years, EC is very underutilized and could potentially prevent thousands of unwanted pregnancies and abortions in the U.S. if prescribed and requested more frequently. EC, also known as the “morning-after pill,” is the only contraceptive product that is used after sex, specifically within 72-120 hours after unprotected intercourse to protect against pregnancy. The EC Initiative utilizes a two-pronged approach as a solution to this problem of underutilization, mobilizing both the supply and the demand elements of EC distribution and consumption. Interior bus posters, public billboards, postcards, wallet cards, and client education materials promote EC directly to the community. The project also supports an EC hotline, where men and women can get general information regarding EC, as well as where they can obtain it, whether at a clinic or a pharmacy in their area. The project also prepares medical professionals to prescribe and dispense EC by providing them with an EC provider kit, containing medical and legal updates, information on California’s unique Pharmacy Access program, client informed consent forms, Medi-Cal and Family Pact reimbursement information, as well as sample clinic protocol and contact information for staff training sessions. Additionally, staff from the project travel to clinics to provide in-person technical assistance with individual prescribing providers and entire clinic staffs, giving providers and staff an opportunity to have their questions answered, get advice on how to integrate EC into the clinic flow, and correct any misconceptions on the use of EC.

Data regarding the provider’s current EC services, as well as opinions regarding EC potentially going over the counter, is collected at baseline and six months. This data is run by the SAS program and compiled and interpreted for a yearly APHA presentation, as well as at other national conferences on adolescent pregnancy and contraception.

The intern in this project can take on many aspects of the program. Specifically, the intern is trained in making site visits and collecting survey data, both at baseline and six months. Every year the project puts together a new media campaign, for which input in development is needed, as well as assistance in field-testing. The intern also assists in data interpretation and analysis, general office tasks relating to the project, and answering the EC hotline.

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