There’s a new program that’s trying to reduce unintended pregnancies by 10 percent in five years across Missouri. The program is called The Right Time, and three of the seven participating health centers are in the Ozarks.
KSMU’s Jennifer Moore talked with Michele Trupiano, executive director of the Missouri Family health Council, Inc, which advocates for more reproductive health education and services and coordinates the program The Right Time.
You can hear the interview below:
“We’ll be working with health centers to provide outreach and education into the community so that and doing a lot of work with health centers to improve the quality of services,” Trupiano said.
Three health centers in the Ozarks region are taking part: AIDS Project of the Ozarks in Springfield, Planned Parenthood of Southwest Missouri and Fordland Clinic, which has branches in Fordland and Kimberling City.
“We had an application process. We opened it up to any health center that was interested in providing services under this initiative. And then we really looked at where there was the greatest need,” Trupiano said.
“We will be adding health centers in years two and three, so we will be expanding every year,” Truipano said.
The program will also work with health care clinicians to encourage them to offer the full range of contraceptive methods—including birth control pills, condoms, IUD s, implants, shots, and natural family planning. The program is limited to contraceptive methods, so it does not include abortion services.
One goal is for the health care providers to spend ample time with patients, advising them on all of their options.
Another goal is to reduce the cost barriers, Trupiano said.
The funding for this initiative comes from the Missouri Foundation for Health.