Native Contraceptive Access Collaborative
-
Don Downing
University of Washington School of Pharmacy
-
Bria Goode
Ibis Reproductive Health
-
Pam Kingfisher
Shining Waters Consulting
-
Justin Lorenzo
Indigenous Women Rising
-
Victoria Nichols
Ibis Reproductive Health
-
Sally Rafie
Birth Control Pharmacist
-
Izamar Rodriguez
Ibis Reproductive Health
-
Heather Smith
Bold Futures
-
Kamryn Yanchick
#FreeThePill Youth Council
-
Carmela Zuniga
Ibis Reproductive Health
The Native Contraceptive Access Collaborative, a subgroup of the Free the Pill coalition, works collaboratively to advance advocacy, research, communications and campaign strategies to ensure that all Native communities—tribal and urban—are resourced and able to easily access over-the-counter contraceptives. The Native Contraceptive Access Collaborative was formed in 2023 by Native-led and serving organizations, Native youth activists, and allied researcher and provider partners.
The Native Contraceptive Access Collaborative is committed to reproductive justice values, applying a youth-adult partnership approach and centering the leadership of those who face the greatest barriers to contraceptive care, and who could benefit the most from easier access to birth control. The group’s ongoing work builds upon a long legacy of Native-led advocacy for reproductive justice including talking circles, roundtable reports, research, and more to expand equitable access to OTC contraceptives.
The working group's current priorities include the following:
Advocating to advance innovative strategies to ensure equitable access to OTC contraceptives
Ensuring Indian Health Service (IHS) and 638 Clinics provide emergency contraception (Plan B and Levonorgestrel EC) and OTC birth control pills (Opill) without a prescription or barriers
Research focused on Native communities and individuals’ experience accessing OTC contraceptives
Storytelling acknowledging the lived-experiences of Native communities in pursuit of equitable access to OTC contraceptives
Education that is evidence-based, culturally appropriate, and widely available to all Native communities
Supporting Native youth engagement, leadership and advocacy
The Native Contraceptive Access Collaborative envisions a contraceptive landscape where Indigenous, American Indian and Alaska Native communities have equitable access to safe and effective contraception free from barriers, bias, and stigma. Native communities have a right to reproductive and body sovereignty.
To learn more about the Native Contraceptive Access Collaborative and how you can support ongoing efforts to expand equitable access to OTC contraceptives for Native Indian/Alaskan Native peoples, please contact us.
Resources
-
Roundtable Report: Native American Women's Prespective to Over-the-Counter (OTC) Oral Contraceptives
By hosting talking circles with Native women in the “bellwether” states of Oklahoma, New Mexico, and South Dakota, the Native American Women’s Health Education Resource Center—a project of the Native American Community Board—takes direction from the women in the communities most impacted by restrictive policies.
-
Ensuring access to over-the-counter contraception for American Indian and Alaska Native women
At their annual conference in November 2020, the National College of American Indians adopted a resolution stating their support of American Indian and Alaska Natives access to over-the-counter contraception that is affordable, covered by insurance, and provided within the Indian Health system.
-
Inclusion of Opill on the IHS Formulary
The Indian Health Service (IHS), an agency within the Department of Health and Human Services, is responsible for providing federal health services to American Indians and Alaska Natives.
In August 2023, Opill was added to the IHS National Core Formulary, the list of medications that represents the basic standard of care drugs which must be carried by all federal facilities to generally promote the parity, portability, quality, safety, convenience, and cost-effectiveness of the pharmacy benefit.