Emergency Contraception Kits for All in Missouri
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Emergency contraception is a completely normal part of sexual health care, and we are really working to destigmatize it.Leslie Pritchard, Communications Manager at Missouri Family Health Council, Inc.
In the face of continued attacks on sexual and reproductive health care access, Missouri Family Health Council, Inc. (MFHC)—the sole Title X project for the state—has developed creative ways to ensure people get the care they need and deserve.
A prime example: the free emergency contraception (EC) kits MFHC has made available for any Missouri resident who needs back-up birth control. Each kit includes two doses of EC, safer sex supplies (like condoms and lube), sexual health education and consent resources, and connections to affordable health care providers. Residents can have kits delivered to them confidentially through the mail or they can pick the kits up at over 60 statewide community distribution points, like intimate partner violence shelters.
“Ever since the Dobbs [v. Jackson Women's Health Organization U.S. Supreme Court] decision, it has been especially important to MFHC that individuals decide if, when, and how they will become pregnant,” says Leslie Pritchard, MFHC’s Communications Manager. MFHC also leads The Right Time initiative, which provides free birth control throughout the state, and recently expanded its Title X project to Oklahoma.
Over 4 months, MFHC staff and volunteers prepared for the Free EC rollout by gathering kit materials, building the infrastructure to assemble them, and figuring out distribution. The project builds on best practices from other states that have implemented similar initiatives.
The response has far exceeded expectations: MFHC and its partners distributed over 16,000 EC kits between June 2023 and January 2024.
The organization credits the vast reach of Free EC to the support of its partners. These include kit distribution partners and brand ambassadors who promote the kits on their social media channels (MFHC provided a social media toolkit to help partners spread the word). Partners like the National Council of Jewish Women – Saint Louis are key in supporting the distribution of Free EC by hosting kit-building events. In addition to supporting thousands of Missourians in receiving confidential sexual health care, the Free EC project has yielded other unexpected wins for MFHC, such as stronger internal procedures, dismantled silos, and new partnerships.
Is your Title X project looking to increase EC access? Check out these resources from the RHNTC: