University of Nebraska Omaha A Nationwide Policy Analysis
University of Nebraska - Omaha A Nationwide Policy Analysis of Pharmacist-Prescribed Birth Control and its Feasibility in Nebraska Full BM, BPH Background: • In 2010, 43% of all pregnancies (14, 000) in Nebraska were unintended. 1 • Significant disparities remain for poor women and women of color. 2 • A woman’s ability to access and administer the contraception of their choice is imperative to reducing the chances of an unintended pregnancy. In theory, pharmacist prescribed contraception should help increase access for women who indicate issues such as going to a doctor’s office or not having a regular doctor. How states have adopted Pharmacist. Prescribed BC: • The District of Columbia and nine other states California, Colorado, Hawaii, Maryland, New Mexico, Oregon, Tennessee, Utah and Washington have passed Pharmacist-Prescribed birth control policies through their legislature. • Of those in Oregon receiving pharmacist-issued prescriptions, 252 had been enrolled in Medicaid for at least 180 days prior to receiving their first prescription. Among those 252, 74% had no history of a contraceptive prescription in the 3 preceding 30 days. Allowing pharmacists to prescribe birth control increases access. Pharmacist-prescribed birth control policies are feasible in Nebraska. Takeaways from these states: Recommendations for Nebraska: • Initial rollout of Pharmacist Prescribed birth control was bumpy. In Oregon, women did not know that this service is available to them. 3 • There also insurance barriers – most carriers do not cover the pharmacist’s consultation fee for birth control. • Pharmacist-prescribed contraception prevented more than 50 unintended pregnancies in Oregon and saved an estimated $1. 6 million in associated 3 taxpayer costs. • It is important to have the proper legal and policy framework in place for a smooth implementation process. • Legal protections for easy-to-access birth control is especially lacking in Nebraska and Nebraska’s climate toward reproductive health equity is poor. However, there are champions of reproductive health equity in the legislature who have had successes in the past. • More work needs to be done in the education sector to reduce stigma surrounding sexual health and utilizing reproductive health services. • To ensure an effective policy implementation process, several other smaller polices should be in place before pharmacist-prescribed birth control can be a reality. References 1 Seberger, J. (n. d. ). Pregnancy Risk Assessment Monitoring System (PRAMS). 2010. Retrieved from http: //dhhs. ne. gov/publichealth/Pages/prams. aspx. 2 Finer, Lawrence B. , and Mia R. Zolna. “Declines in Unintended Pregnancy in the United States, 2008– 2011. ” Obstetrical & Gynecological Survey, vol. 71, no. 7, 2016, pp. 408– 409. , doi: 10. 1097/ogx. 0000000340. 3 Rodriguez, Maria & Darney, Blair & Edelman, Alison & Yee, Kimberly & Anderson, Lorinda & Mcconnell, K. . (2019). Pharmacists expand access to reproductive hea. Lthcare: PEARL study protocol. BMC Health Services Research. 19. 10. 1186/s 12913 -019 -4038 -9. Midlands Sexual Health Research Collaborative bfull@unomaha. edu
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