Tangled Red Tape Still Limiting Women’s Access To Birth Control
A new law allowing pharmacists to prescribe women birth control is facing a series of delays. “It’s been politics, in some ways, at its worst. Every time there’s a delay, the delay is just exponential," says Kathleen Besinque, an associate professor of clinical pharmacy at USC. In other public health news, home screening colonoscopy kits generate higher levels of participation.
The Orange County Register:
It's The Law In California, But Here's Why You Still Can't Get Birth Control Without A Doctor
By now, it was supposed to be easier for California women to get birth control. A 2013 law allowing pharmacists at CVS, Rite Aid and other drug stores to directly prescribe the pill, and two other forms of hormonal contraception, was set to roll out in October. But it’s been three months, and women still have to see a doctor first for a prescription. (Chandler, 1/25)
KQED:
Put Off By Colonoscopy? Home Screening Test Is Good Alternative, Study Shows
An annual screening test for colon cancer that can be done at home showed strong effectiveness over several years, and patients who were sent the kits in the mail were very likely to participate year after year, a large study from Kaiser in both Northern and Southern California found. (Aliferis, 1/25)