268603 Organization and delivery of family planning and reproductive health services in community health centers

Tuesday, October 30, 2012 : 9:00 AM - 9:15 AM

Debora Goetz Goldberg, PhD, MBA, MHA , Department of Health POlicy, The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, DC
Holly Mead, PhD , Department of Health Policy, The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, DC
Susan Wood, PhD , Department of Health Policy, The George Washington University/School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, DC
Tishra Beeson, MPH , Department of Health Policy, The George Washington University, Washington, DC
Peter Shin, PhD , Department of Health Policy, George Washington University School of Public Health, Washington, DC
Brian Bruen, MS , Department of Health Policy, The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, DC
Julie Lewis , Department of Health Policy, The George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services, Washington, DC
Kay Johnson, MPH, EdM , Johnson Group Consulting, Hinesburg, VT
Sara Rosenbaum, JD , Department of Health Policy, George Washington University, Washington, DC, DC
     
This was an in-depth, mixed methods study of family planning and reproductive health services in community health centers across the United States. The goals of the study were to: 1) determine how health centers define and carry out family planning and reproductive health services; 2) understand how these services are delivered to key populations, including adolescents and uninsured women; 3) determine what services are provided within health center systems and how care is coordinated with other providers in the community; 4) assess staffing arrangements and employee training for providing these services; and 5) understand challenges health centers face in providing family planning and reproductive health services. We developed and administered an original survey (n = 423) and conducted detailed case studies of six health centers to obtain detailed information on their approach to family planning and primary reproductive health care.

Our findings indicate that community health centers utilize a variety of methods and staffing arrangements to deliver and coordinate family planning and reproductive health services. Centers with Title X funding (specifically designated for family planning services) provide a broader scope of services, employ more staff who are solely focused on providing family planning care, and are more likely to separate family planning and reproductive health clinics than centers without Title X funding. Challenges identified by health centers include: limited funding; difficulty finding OB/GYNs and other staff; lack of access to specific services such as fertility treatment, certain contraceptive methods and terminations; and difficulties arranging comprehensive adolescent care.

Learning Areas:
Public health or related organizational policy, standards, or other guidelines

Learning Objectives:
Describe the organization and delivery of family planning and reproductive health services in community health centers Define how care is coordinated within health centers and between health centers and other providers in the community Discuss challenges faced by community health centers in providing family planning and reproductive health services

Keywords: Access, Family Planning

Presenting author's disclosure statement:

Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: Dr. Goldberg is an Assistant Research Professor with the Department of Health Policy at the George Washington University School of Public Health and Health Services. Her research focuses on organizational behavior and change management in primary care settings. She is an investigator on several federal and non-federal grants researching organizational characteristics of ambulatory and safety-net settings, including this project on the delivery and organization of family planning services in FQHCs.
Any relevant financial relationships? No

I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines, and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed in my presentation.

Back to: 4060.0: Focus on community health centers: strategies for increasing access to family planning services