Vagisil® Donates 30,000 Packs of Emergency Contraception to Aid Women Living in 'Contraceptive Deserts'

WHITE PLAINS, N.Y., Sept. 25, 2019 /PRNewswire/ -- Many women throughout the United States struggle to gain reasonable access to contraceptive methods when they need it most. Today, Combe, Inc., the makers of Vagisil®, announced a partnership with Power to Decide, the campaign to prevent unplanned pregnancy, to provide low-income women access to contraception. The Vagisil brand has donated 30,000 units of Preventeza™ (levonorgestrel tablet, 1.5 mg) emergency contraception to SIRUM (Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine) and is pledging to match up to $10,000 of donations made to Power to Decide's BCBenefits, a contraceptive access fund.

"With all of the conversations and changes being made around reproductive rights and access to contraception, we believe our mission of educating and empowering women to take charge of their vaginal and sexual health is more important than ever," said Keech Combe Shetty, CEO of Vagisil. "Our partnership with Power to Decide furthers our commitment as a brand to discuss these often uncomfortable topics and advocate for women as it relates to their vaginal and sexual health needs."

Of the 66 million women of reproductive age living in the United States, more than 20 million are in need of publicly funded contraception, according to Power to Decide. Among that 20 million, 97 percent (19.5 million) currently live in contraceptive deserts, counties without reasonable access to the full range of contraceptive methods. Power to Decide has identified contraceptive deserts across the United States and through third-party SIRUM (Supporting Initiatives to Redistribute Unused Medicine), Vagisil is donating 30,000 units of Preventeza emergency contraception to be distributed to women in these deserts in addition to other women's clinics in need. 

Power to Decide's newly introduced BCBenefits is a contraceptive access fund that provides low-income women with the financial support they need to pay for transportation associated with health care appointments, as well as unreimbursed costs for contraceptive services and supplies. Vagisil's pledge to match up to $10,000 in consumer donations will help support these women as they seek the birth control that is right for them. 

"Every woman deserves access to the contraceptive method right for her, yet that access is not the reality for millions of women," said Ginny Ehrlich, CEO of Power to Decide. "Support from partners like Vagisil, along with public donations, make it possible for us to support women in need so that they have the power to decide if, when and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child."

To learn more about Power to Decide's BCBenefits, including how to donate, visit powertodecide.org. For additional information about Vagisil's mission to be shameless about vaginal health, visit vagisil.com.

About Combe Inc
Combe Inc. is a manufacturer of "the world's most personal personal care products", including Vagisil® intimate health care products and Just For Men® hair color.  Combe, a privately-held multinational company, founded in 1949, is in its third generation of Combe family leadership.

About Power to Decide
Power to Decide is a private, non-partisan, non-profit organization that works to ensure all people—no matter who they are, where they live or what their economic status might be—have the power to decide if, when, and under what circumstances to get pregnant and have a child. Please visit us at www.PowerToDecide.org or follow us on Facebook and Twitter.

About SIRUM
SIRUM is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit, that uses technology to connect surplus drugs from healthcare organizations with safety-net pharmacies serving the 1-in-4 working age adults in the US who can't afford their drugs. To date, we have helped more than 350 organizations around the country donate over $45 million worth of medicine, enough to supply over 500,000 prescriptions. Our work has been supported by Draper Richards Kaplan Foundation, Y Combinator, Fast Forward and Guggenheim Partners and featured in The Wall Street Journal, The New York Times, and Forbes.

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SOURCE Vagisil