Team Members
- Sally Rafie, PharmD, BCPS, APh, NCMP
- Erin Garner-Ford, MA
- Anu Manchikanti Gomez, PhD, MSc
Research Project Description
Rural communities nationally and in California experience sexual and reproductive health inequities, with higher adolescent birth rates than urban and suburban areas, declines in access to formal sex education, and inadequate access to healthcare, including contraceptive care. Pharmacies are an important source of healthcare in rural America, particularly as pharmacists’ scope of practice expands to include prescribing medication, chronic disease management, and preventive health services. In California, pharmacists can prescribe hormonal contraception directly to patients of any age, allowing for a single point of access for consultation, prescription, and receipt of medication. However, the team’s recent research found that only 11% of California pharmacies offered this service. This project will investigate the barriers and facilitators to realizing the promise of pharmacists as family planning providers in rural and frontier California, through research on the availability of pharmacist-prescribed contraception, women’s knowledge of and interest in this service, and decision-making processes of pharmacies regarding implementation. Together, these novel data will point to solutions to increase availability of pharmacist-prescribed contraception within California and the many other states that are in the various stages of considering a similar model, passing legislation, and implementing this service.
Team Members
Sally Rafie, PharmD, BCPS, APh, NCMP
Sally Rafie is a Pharmacist at UC San Diego Health, providing clinical services in both clinic and community pharmacy settings. Dr. Rafie has experience in training and supporting pharmacists to provide contraception services. Her research and advocacy efforts focus on advancing pharmacist practice, family planning and other public health initiatives.
Erin Garner-Ford, MA
Erin Garner-Ford is a consultant specializing in strategic and succession planning, policy, and program implementation. She is the former Executive Director of ACT for Women and Girls. Garner-Ford has experience in organizational and program development, legislative policy, and grassroots advocacy with a focus on reproductive health and justice issues.
Anu Manchikanti Gomez, PhD, MSc
Anu Manchikanti Gomez is an Assistant Professor of Social Welfare and Director of the Sexual Health and Reproductive Equity Program at the University of California, Berkeley. Her scholarship focuses on advancing equity and autonomy in the reproductive life course, particularly investigating social, structural, and provider-level factors that contribute to health inequities.
Issue Brief: Central Valley and Southern California
Most Rural Californians Surveyed Unaware that Pharmacists Directly Prescribe Birth Control
