Materials and Strategies
The Infant Mortality Reduction Coalition launched its Preventing Unplanned Pregnancy campaign in spring of 2006. The
main strategy of this initiative is to educate health and social service providers about emergency contraception so that
they can share correct information with their clients and patients. As recommeneded by the American College of
Obstetricians and Gynecologists, local providers are asked to:
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Educate sexually active women and men about birth control and emergency birth control; |
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Encourage sexually active patients to use a reliable method of birth control and have a plan in case they ever
have a birth control emergency; and |
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Equip those sexually active young women interested in emergency birth control with an advance prescription for
the medication. This allows patients to go ahead and fill the prescription to have the medication at home just in
case they ever do have a birth control emergency. |
To date, we have provided over 20 in-service trainings in doctors' offices, local clinics, and human services agencies.
Over 350 local providers have been trained and are now able to share the information with tens of thousands of
community members. We have created fact sheets and posters to educate providers and community members about
emergency contraception, when the medicine is most effective, and to let people know that this medicine is NOT "the
Abortion Pill". Protocol changes have been implemented in a number of community clinics so that every sexually active
woman is offered emergency contraception education.
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