Increasing Access to Quality Contraceptive Services in Palau through Training and TA

It’s one thing for family planning providers to read the Quality Family Planning recommendations, but it’s a much bigger undertaking to actually put these recommendations into practice. Thankfully, family planning providers don’t need to figure it out alone: the RHNTC is here to help.

Earlier this year, staff at the Palau Ministry of Health and Human Services (PMHHS) Family Health Unit (FHU) learned this first-hand when they participated in a week of RHNTC-led in-person training and technical assistance (TA) focused on increasing access to quality family planning services.

Before connecting with the RHNTC, the FHU team had picked up on community interest in Jadelle, a long-acting hormonal contraceptive implant available in Palau. They also recognized an opportunity to strengthen FHU staff’s related knowledge, counseling skills, and understanding of insertion and removal techniques. To that end, the RHNTC conducted training specifically on Jadelle, in addition to the other topics covered throughout the week. 

A central part of the training strategy was including a diverse range of staff roles—such administrative staff, health educators, nurses, midwives, and doctors—from related health programs, like the maternal and child health program. By strengthening knowledge and skills across a broad set of clinical and other services providers, the RHNTC and FHU aimed to maximize opportunities for clients to receive accurate information about the availability of Jadelle, as well as information that can help them determine whether this method may be a good fit for them.

Thirteen individuals attended the Jadelle training. The hands-on session included a live demonstration and a mentored insertion procedure, with supplies procured through a collaboration between PMHHS, RHNTC, and the United Nations Population Fund (UNFPA). PMHSS and the RHNTC are planning follow-up training and TA in January 2023 to reinforce and advance the knowledge and skills gained at the first training, and to dive into new topics. 

Family planning providers looking to increase access to quality contraceptive services can use the following RHNTC resources to strengthen their efforts: 

• Contraceptive Counseling and Education eLearning
• Same-Visit Contraception: A Toolkit for Family Planning Providers
• Increasing Access to Contraception Toolkit

Title X projects can also learn more about requesting TA from the RHNTC.