New Haven Register (New Haven, CT)
CT pharmacists could provide emergency contraception for patients under proposal
In attempts to provide women with expanded access to birth-control medication, the legislative Public Health Committee on Monday approved legislation that would let pharmacists provide emergency and hormonal contraceptives for patients 16 and older.
Pharmacists would be required to seek additional training, provide additional health screenings and notify patients’ general practitioners in attempt to make sure that medical histories don’t present potential hazards. Twenty two other states already allow pharmacists to provide hormonal contraceptives. That bill moves next to the state Senate.
Separate legislation, heading next to the House of Representatives, would allow for companies with state permits from the Department of Consumer Protection, to place vending machines with emergency contraceptive pills on the campuses of state colleges and universities.
“I do think that there needs to be some original conversation with a physician before you go fullboard on birth control for a variety of different reasons,” said state Rep. Michelle Cook, D-Torrington, a committee member. “I think that’s vitally important, given any type of underlying conditions and side effects and medical reactions to prescriptions.”
“Hormonal birth control has been around for a very, very, very long time,” said Sen. Martha Marx, DNew London. “We all know that there is a risk if you smoke. So you do an assessment and you ask if you smoke cigarettes. But still, the side effects of having an unwanted pregnancy should outweigh anything.”
Sen. Heather Somers, RGroton, a top Republican on the panel, said that recent studies of pharmacists who are already providing hormonal contraceptives in Oregon indicate that about 7-percent of patients there are referred back to their general practitioners. “I am confident that our pharmacists are well-trained, they are medication experts and professionals, and I have full confidence that they are able to dispense this medication that has been on the market for 61 years faithfully and effectively, and would do nothing to cause any harm to a patient if there was any question whatsoever,” Somers said.
Sen. Saud Anwar, DSouth Windsor, the cochairman of the committee who participated remotely from a hospital where he was on-duty in the emergency room, said that it’s important to make sure the medications are safely provided. “I understand we need to improve access,” he said. “It’s important to note that if somebody is at a high risk for developing clots and they have a family history of clots, or they have had clots in the past, they may have an increased risk. That risk is better addressed by a clinician. Pharmacists are not clinicians.”
The committee also approved legislation proposed by Gov. Ned Lamont to allow the creation of birthing centers aimed at providing better experiences for women with lowrisk pregnancies. It would save an estimated $2,000 per delivery. As part of the legislation, the state would form a new infant mortality review board; create a pathway for doulas to earn certificates to assist in the delivery of babies; and start a new statewide home-visit program for mothers of newborns.
“The important thing about the sites is that the cost of care is going to be much less than what it is in the hospitals,” said Anwar of the bill, which passed mostly along party lines with majority Democrats in favor. Currently, the state’s only birthing center is near Danbury Hospital. “If somebody has insurance or Medicaid, they would be able to pay for these centers as well.”
He said that the universal home-visit portion of the legislation would be a major shift for the state, allowing professionals to assess the needs of newborns in their homes. “It’s going to be a generational change of providing service early in the course of a child’s well being,” Anwar said.
“A birth center is really making available for women an opportunity to have a baby in a different setting,” said Sen. Julie Kushner, D-Danbury. “I know that we’ve talked about how we have some maternity deserts in our state and a birth center could potentially fill a void that’s very important. But it’s not simply for that reason. It is for women to have the choice to have a baby in a different environment.”
“We want to make sure, ultimately, that those people who are giving birth and those new babies are all safe,” said Rep. Cristin McCarthy Vehey, D-Fairfield, co-chairwoman of the committee. “The opportunity for every new parent with a new child to have a visit and have support is an absolutely thrilling opportunity, especially given what we know about creating foundations for our newest Connecticut residents.”