At this point in 2021, we have been implementing our program in Massachusetts for nearly 18 months. While COVID has disrupted all sectors, the healthcare field and our health center partners have been hit especially hard. Even in the face of unprecedented challenges, our partners have remained dedicated to the work and we have continued to make measurable progress. To date in Massachusetts, we have:
As of now:
*Knowledge increase percentage determined via contraceptive care knowledge survey completed by health center staff before and after Upstream trainings. A PISQ is a “Pregnancy Intention Screening Question”
We are honored to be working with such dedicated partners, especially during this challenging time. We look forward to welcoming new partners throughout the year and continuing to expand access to contraception across the Commonwealth.
Launching Our New Virtual Patient Survey
The most important part of our work at Upstream is helping agencies ensure that patient choice is not only protected but actively sought. Our program activities and resources emphasize a clear focus on patient needs and providing bias-free, non-coercive contraceptive care.
In order to monitor whether patients are making their own informed choices regarding their contraceptive options, we survey the patient population of participating health center partners and share the results.
Pre-pandemic, this survey was conducted in-person. In response to COVID, we pivoted to a virtual patient survey administered via text message. The survey is now live in Massachusetts at the Family Health Center of Worcester with plans for launch at additional health centers this summer.
Going virtual makes survey administration less time consuming, gives patients more time to participate, allows us to connect with telehealth patients, and ensures that we can still measure patient voluntarism and satisfaction in a COVID-distanced environment.
We can’t wait for more partners to take advantage of this improved part of our approach to monitoring and evaluation.
