BOH minutes 113016 - Laserfiche WebLink

Browse Search

MINUTES-Final ORANGE COUNTY BOARD OF HEALTH November 30, 2016 S:\Managers Working Files\BOH\Agenda & Abstracts\2016 Agenda & Abstracts/ November Page 4 Dr. Bridger reiterated that the purpose of accreditation is to ensure that all NC health departments are meeting the 10 essential services. She added that one of the benefits is that it assures a minimum standard for all health departments. Dr. Bridger also reviewed the Board’s role which includes that policies and procedures on how to handle finance, community health, health director/staff, Board function and rules and ordinances. The BOH members had questions that were addressed by Dr. Bridger. E. UNC Capstone Presentation Coby Jansen Austin, Director of Programs and Policy, began by stating that the 2016-18 Board of Health Strategic Plan requested research on the appropriate pathway and necessary partners to pursue policy change to make birth control pills available over the counter (OTC). UNC public policy undergraduate students Shivangi Amin, Hannah Eichner, Charlotte Henry and Rob Poston prepared a literature review, compiled a series of case studies and interviewed a few key stakeholders to evaluate the pros and cons of moving this policy proposal forward while identifying the key partners in making that happen. They began by informing the Board that only the FDA can determine whether a drug can be available OTC vs behind the counter. Statistics provided included that half of all pregnancies are unintended and 74.8% of 2010 NC unplanned births were publicly funded costing the federal and state government a combined cost of $858.3 million. Costs and a required clinician visit reported as barriers to access oral contraceptives. Barriers to contraceptive use included costs (insurance) and side effects (blood clots, weight gain, nausea). Next, the students spoke briefly about the safety of OTC birth control. Oral contraceptives were found to be safe. Research found that women are able to self-identify whether they are good candidates for oral contraceptives. There have been many arguments for and against making oral contraceptives available OTC. Some arguments against it include lower likelihood of women receiving preventive screenings and higher risk of blood clots. Arguments for it include reduced abortions and reduced Medicaid costs. The students used four states (California, Oregon, Tennessee, Missouri) as case studies as they either have laws or bills regarding this topic. • California passed a bill in September 2013 that was implemented in April 2016 which allows self-administered hormonal contraceptives to be distributed without a doctor’s prescription. The policy is optional for pharmacists. • Oregon passed a law in July 2015 that was implemented in January 2016, set to expire in 2020, in which the two types of hormonal contraceptive available under this law are the oral contraceptive pill and the hormonal patch. • Tennessee passed a bill in January 2016 which authorizes pharmacists to provide hormonal contraceptives to patients OTC so long as they adhere to a valid collaborative pharmacy practice agreement. • Missouri currently has a bill that passed the House, but not the Senate. This bill included a requirement that health insurance plans cover contraceptives. The plan must cover an initial 3-month supply and then a 12-month supply for any subsequent dispensations of the same contraceptive. Also discussed were factors that affected policy choices such as: