Helping pharmacy & health communities improve access to Emergency Contraception (EC)

States With Direct Access

On August 24, 2006 the FDA approved Plan B for nonprescription sale to consumers 18 and older in the United States. Women under 18 will still need a prescription. Women in states with EC pharmacy access programs may continue to get EC directly from pharmacies without going to the doctor/clinic first for a prescription. For more information click here.

Nine states have adopted policies to allow women direct access to EC in pharmacies (AK, CA, HI, NH, NM, MA, ME, VT, WA). This section summarizes the change process in six of the states.

While the process for each is different, there are common themes:

Broad coalitions with diverse stakeholder representation
Visible leadership from groups associated with a wide base of community health issues, e.g. state and local health departments, private non-profits such as Programs for Appropriate Technology in Health, Healthy Mothers Healthy Babies, Public Health Institute
Active, although sometimes low-profile, participation by leaders associated with the pharmacy community
Prominent involvement of physicians associated with Universities, government, and private sector.

The changes made by each state relate to their existing pharmacy practice laws. Some states required legislative change, others required regulatory change, and one state, Washington, needed to no formal change in law, but needed to bring about institutional acceptance for this new practice. By carefully studying the protocol environment in your state, you can begin to plan for change in your state.

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