A Step Ahead Chattanooga, an organization removing barriers to contraception through education, outreach,and access to free birth control to any individuals living in their tri-state, 18-county service, Thursday announced a partnership with Twentyeight Health, a telehealth company increasing access to sexual and reproductive care for women from underserved communities. Through the partnership, A Step Ahead Chattanooga will begin offering free access to online birth control prescription and delivery services.
“For the past eight years, A Step Ahead Chattanooga has been providing access to long-acting reversible contraceptive methods (i.e., IUDs and implants).
We are so proud that we have made them available to thousands of clients for whom cost would have been an obstacle. People consider many medical, socioeconomic, cultural and personal factors when choosing a birth control method. At ASAC, we wholeheartedly believe that every individual should be able to access the preventive birth control method that they feel is right for them, which is why we are expanding to cover additional methods,” said Mandy Cowley, executive director of A Step Ahead Chattanooga. “Through our partnership with Twentyeight Health, we’re thrilled to begin offering telehealth services for hormonal birth control pill prescriptions and delivery.”
Ms. Cowley added, “We’re confident this partnership will result in increased access to birth control for residents of the 18 counties across three states that A Step Ahead Chattanooga serves, empowering more women to reach their life goals.”
Through the partnership, A Step Ahead Chattanooga clients will receive access to Twentyeight Health’s award-winning online doctor evaluation and birth control delivery services. A Step Ahead Chattanooga will cover the cost of a year’s worth of hormonal birth control pills for clients without insurance or the cost of copays for a year’s worth of hormonal birth control pills for clients with insurance.
“Today, more than 400,000 women in Tennessee are living in contraceptive deserts, according to Power to Decide, and birth control telehealth services can help close this gap,” said Amy Fan, co-founder of Twentyeight Health. “Twentyeight Health and A Step Ahead Chattanooga share a commitment to providing high-quality and affordable sexual and reproductive care, and we look forward to working together to help more women access birth control.”
To learn more about how individuals living in the Chattanooga region can access free birth control telehealth services through A Step Ahead Chattanooga and Twentyeight Health, visit astepaheadchattanooga.org.