Q: Can you tell me more
about online prescription services for obtaining emergency
contraception?
I know that you can call 1-888-NOT-2-LATE to find the names
of 5 nearby providers who will prescribe ECPs. How can a person
obtain a prescription for ECPs through online prescription
services?
A: Currently,
two Planned Parenthood affiliates, Planned Parenthood of Chicago
and Planned Parenthood of Georgia, offer online services from
which residents of Illinois and Georgia can obtain emergency
contraception.
Planned Parenthood of
Chicago’s service, called EC4U, allows women who want ECPs
through the site – PPCA.org
– to submit required information, which is then reviewed by
a nurse practitioner before the practitioner before the prescription
is then sent to a pharmacy of the woman’s choice. Women who
go online with a credit card pay $40 for the service, but
Planned Parenthood of Chicago hopes that it will boost orders
from women who don’t want to or can’t wait to go to their
doctors. The $40 covers the online assessment and the cost
of the ECPs – Plan B, Preven or Lo-Ovral – is between $15
and $35, dependent on what the pharmacy charges.
Women
visiting the site are asked to first read a brief informational
sheet on emergency contraception, to then give informed consent
to proceed, and finally to provide vital contact and health
information, including time of last menstrual cycle, time
of last act of unprotected intercourse, the potential for
pregnancy and current use of contraception. They are finally
asked to designate whether they would like to pick up their
pills through a local participating pharmacy or through a
Planned Parenthood/Chicago Area health center.
Planned
Parenthood of Georgia’s service, called “Emergency Contraception
Connection,” also costs $40 for women who want to order ECPs
through the site – here.
The Emergency Contraception Connection
takes Georgia residents through the same online request process
as EC4U, except that women using the Georgia service may only
pick up their prescription at a participating pharmacy. The
$40 covers the online assessment and the cost of the ECPs
– Lo-Ovral – is between $25 and $35, depending on what the
designated pharmacy charges.
Planned
Parenthood of Chicago’s service has varying hours of operation
throughout the week: Monday 9:00 a.m. to 5:00 p.m., Tuesday
8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m., Wednesday 11:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.,
Thursday 10:00 a.m. to 5:30 p.m., Friday 8:30 a.m. to 1:30
p.m., and Saturday 9:30 a.m. to 1:30 p.m. Georgia’s service
is open to women 24 hours a day.
|
|
