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| Helping pharmacy & health communities improve access to Emergency Contraception (EC) |
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District of Columbia ProfileEC PHARMACY UPDATEThere is an EC-DC Working Group comprised of local and national organizations such as DC Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Advocates for Youth, Program for Appropriate Technologies in Health (PATH), Children’s Medical Center, and Planned Parenthood, as well as pharmacists and physicians. The group has chosen to work on improving access to EC by increasing awareness among adults and teens. Washington D.C. Pharmaceutical Association (DCPhA) has been meeting with Women’s Capital Corporation to discuss EC going over the counter (OTC). The DCPhA position is to support EC going OTC under the conditions that EC is handled and dispensed by a trained and qualified pharmacist or pharmacy technician. A survey of pharmacies determined that pharmacies in DC carry Plan B and offer it to victims of sexual assault in state hospitals. Planned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington is open six days a week and has an EC hotline. Campus health clinics (e.g., Howard, American, and George Washington Universities) provide EC on campuses where student groups have been involved in promoting access to EC.
CONTACTSHerb Kwash, R.Ph. Darcy Jones Virginia Martin Tamarah Moss
USEFUL LINKSPlanned Parenthood of Metropolitan Washington
PROTOCOL ENVIRONMENTUnfriendly Environment: New Authority Required In this district, no authority exists for collaborative practice agreements. Any initiative to provide direct pharmacy access to EC would require significant advocacy activity to secure statutory and/or regulatory authority.
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