Partnership Improves Access to Contraceptives at Community Health Centers

COLUMBIA, S.C., Dec. 16, 2021 /PRNewswire/ -- New Morning, a South Carolina nonprofit organization leading the largest state-based birth control access program in the U.S., announced new data showing that it has increased women's access to contraceptive services by 957 percent among 18 federally qualified health centers (FQHCs) since 2016. The FQHCs have provided family planning counseling and contraceptive services to almost 60,000 women. The majority of their patients are low-income and uninsured or underinsured.

This extraordinary growth underscores South Carolina women's need and desire for family planning services, which reduce the number of unwanted or mistimed pregnancies and which promote healthier birth outcomes. 

New Morning's program provides eight FDA-approved birth control methods for free or low cost through a network of more than 119 clinical sites across the state. The clinical network has delivered contraceptive services to a total of 306,000 women.  The program has enabled many FQHCs, rural health practices and other clinics to purchase and offer high-quality birth control services for the first time.  

The South Carolina Primary Health Care Association, the unifying organization for community health centers in South Carolina, has been an integral partner in facilitating a collaborative relationship between FQHCs and New Morning.

"Our community health centers provide primary health care, prevention, education and case management for their patients at all life stages. New Morning stepped forward to assist FQHCs expand and improve integrated contraceptive services and the phenomenal growth in the number of patients served speaks to the real need for these services," said Lathran Woodard, CEO of the South Carolina Primary Health Care Association. 

About New Morning
Founded in 2002 with private funding, New Morning is a nonprofit organization that has spent its two decades advocating for increased education and access to birth control throughout South Carolina. For more information, visit newmorning.org. 

SOURCE New Morning