Act for Women and Girls - ACT For Women and Girls

Pharmacy Access

Pharmacy Access

To view our 2012 report card, click here.

Description of Campaign: In order to provide sexually active youth with referrals to unbiased pharmacies, ACT’s Female Leadership Academy surveys and secret shops local pharmacies in Tulare County. In an effort to get the word out about EC, the FLA become myth busters and educate one person at a time to raise community awareness.

Step One: Get the Facts!

FLA attend an intense one- day training on teen friendly services, emergency contraception access and pharmacies . They learn what Emergency Contraception is and how it can help prevent an unwanted pregnancy. The young women discuss myths around EC and the limited access their peers have to reproductive health information. They also learn how pharmacists could be an aid to youth seeking information on reproductive health topics.

Step Two: Survey and Grading!

At the beginning of each New Year, FLA goes out to survey pharmacies on availability of emergency contraception, confidential files, payment options and additional reproductive health information available to youth. FLA surveyed 22 pharmacies in 2011 and 34 pharmacies in 2012. Around the same time our secret shoppers go into the same surveyed pharmacies to gauge the friendliness of staff, stalk of condoms and other STD and pregnancy prevention products along with over all environment of the store. While most pharmacies are open to questions, one or two halt the survey at the first mention of emergency contraception. This confirms community member stories about unhelpful and bias pharmacies.

After all information is collected, the FLA get together, share experiences and responses and are set to the task of grading pharmacies. A grading scale was developed based upon points and expected criteria. Each category could be rewarded a 0, .5, or 1.0 based upon 0 being unsatisfactory, .5 room for improvement, and 1 being satisfactory. Categories are as follow: friendliness, wait time, reproductive health products, and cleanliness.

Step Three: Give thanks!

ACT feels that it is important to recognize pharmacies that offer unbiased information to teens. After all grading is complete, each “A” graded pharmacy is awarded a certificate. All of the pharmacist and pharmacy staff are thrilled to receive recognition.

Each of the pharmacies receive a letter explaining the project and the grade awarded along with suggestions for improvement. All pharmacies are given a copy of the report card with grades of all pharmacies.

The report card is available to the public on-line and has been given to youth serving health providers and mentors within Tulare County.

Last Updated on Monday, 06 August 2012 18:58