RHAP lent its perspective and expertise to the research that resulted in two recently published studies that address access to medication abortion in family medicine.  “Family Physicians’ Barriers and Facilitators in Incorporating Medication Abortion” highlights the role training and technical assistance play in supporting family physicians to provide medication abortion.  “Exploring the impact of mifepristone’s risk evaluation and mitigation strategy (REMS) on the integration of medication abortion into US family medicine primary care clinics” focused on the barriers to not being able to prescribe mifepristone (one of the two medications most commonly used for medication abortion in the United States) creates for people seeking abortion care. The FDA recently modified its restrictions on mifepristone, allowing the medication to now be prescribed.

Both of these articles center on how well-suited providing medication abortion is in family medicine and primary care. Providing medication abortion in primary care settings has never been more urgent. Now, as abortion care is being severely limited or outlawed in many parts of this country, clinicians in states where abortion access is safe and secure need to become abortion providers. Christine Dehlendorf, MD, lead researcher on the studies that supported both these articles, recently issued her own call to action.  She notes that RHAP plays a critical role in supporting clinicians to provide abortion care.  Many clinicians are heeding this call. 

Since the SCOTUS leak in May, RHAP has provided technical assistance to more than 20 primary care organizations and provided continuing education in medical abortion to more than 250 primary care clinicians. 

RHAP is expanding the work we do to meet this increased demand to offer abortion in primary care:

• This fall we will re-launch Insights, a monthly clinical publication offering evidence-based clinical best practice tips that support abortion and early pregnancy loss care.  Sign up to receive Insights here: https://www.reproductiveaccess.org/signup-insights/
• We started offering weekly office hours to provide health care organizations with technical assistance in integrating abortion into their clinical practice.  Sign up for office hours here. https://calendly.com/rhap-meetings/med-ab-office-hours
• We are actively seeking funding to launch an online learning collaborative that would support integrating medication abortion in primary care settings.  Want to support our work?  Donate here!