The 131st Annual Meeting (November 15-19, 2003) of APHA

Abstract #63442

Catherine Maternowska, PhD, MPH¹, Amy Godecker, PhD¹, Anna Ramirez, MPH², Jan Treat, PHN, MN², and John Mikanda, MD, MPH³. (1) Center for Reproductive Health Research & Policy, University of California, San Francisco, 2000 O Street, Suite 200, Sacramento, CA 95814, (916) 440-8803, maternowska@obgyn.ucsf.edu, (2) Office of Family Planning, State of California Department of Health Services, 714 P Street #440, Sacramento, CA 95814, (3) Office of Family Planning, California Department of Health Services, 714 P Street, Room 440, Sacramento, CA 95814

California’s Family PACT (Planning, Access, Care & Treatment) Program provides clinical services for family planning reproductive health at no cost to residents at or below 200% of Federal Poverty Level. Men have been eligible for limited reproductive health benefits since the inception of Family PACT in 1997. In 2000, the benefits package for males was expanded to make it comparable to the benefits package for women. In FY 2000/01, 134,599 men received services. The proportion of male clients has grown from 4 percent in FY 1997/98 to 11 percent in FY 2000/01. Twenty-one percent of male clients were under age 20, and 66 percent were Latino (FY 00/01).

While 94 percent of adolescent males and 90 percent of adult males received services related to barrier methods, only a small percentage (1.8 percent) were seen for vasectomy-related services. Sixty-five percent of male clients were tested for a sexually transmitted infection; testing for specific infections ranged from 1 percent (for genital herpes) to 50 percent (for chlamydia).

Men access reproductive healthcare less frequently than women, even when free services are readily available. Also, retention rates in the Family PACT Program are much lower for men than for women (15 percent vs. 47 percent). This paper discusses traditional and non-traditional barriers to care for men in general and Latino men in particular.

Learning Objectives:

At the end of the session, participants will be able to:
• Recognize the importance of men's access to family planning services.
• Report the characteristics of males served by Family PACT, California's publicly-funded reproductive health services program.
• Discuss services utilized by male Family PACT clients.

Presenting author's disclosure statement:
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.