As the summer winds down in Washington and the temperatures begin to cool, we are thrilled to announce three new Upstream partnerships with the University of Washington Medical Center, University of Washington Neighborhood Clinics, and Community Health of Central Washington. These new partners reaffirm the idea that even through a pandemic, reproductive healthcare services are needed now more than ever. We are excited to work with them to continue expanding contraceptive access across the state.
In line with our goal of expanding access for all Washintonians, we know that many of our current partners have been actively using the Family Planning Only program to serve patients in need of services. The program has undergone some meaningful changes over the past year to expand to more people and we’ve created a technical assistance document to help support patients in using the program. Read on for more details.
As always, we are grateful for the continued support of our partners and supporters across Washington and look forward to what the rest of the year brings.
Welcoming New Partners!
University of Washington Medical Center
University of Washington Medical Center (UWMC) represents an important partnership for patients and their access to Immediate Postpartum Contraceptive Care (IPPC) in Washington.
Primarily serving the greater Seattle area, the two-facility hospital system sees over 4,000 births per year and is recognized nationally as a leader in innovative and high quality care.
I am excited about the UWMC/Upstream partnership to be able to improve contraception training for faculty, residents and nursing staff, and ultimately improve contraception access for all our patients.” – Sarah Prager, MD, MAS – University of Washington Medical Center
University of Washington Neighborhood Clinics
University of Washington Neighborhood Clinics (UWNC) have long been a part of the Puget Sound community, serving patients across 16 primary care clinics as a critical access point for many in the region.
UWNC sees approximately 35,000 patients with potential family planning needs per year, while providing services across a variety of disciplines. Partnering together with UWNC and sharing the belief in a patient centered approach, we are excited to see the impact that UWNC will make in their communities and for their patients.
Community Health of Central Washington
The Community Health of Central Washington (CHCW) partnership means working with a community leader and trailblazer in Central Washington.
CHCW was the first organization to offer a school-based health clinic in Yakima and their five-site Federally Qualified Health Center serves roughly 30,000 patients in Yakima and Kittitas Counties. CHCW offers primary care, pediatrics, obstetrics, behavioral health, psychiatric services, dental and senior care. The team at CHWC are passionate about patient-centered and holistic services and are equally dedicated to increasing access to equitable healthcare for “…all diverse peoples and communities, in Central Washington and beyond.”
Family Planning Only Resource
Washington’s Family Planning Only (FPO) program provides family planning and contraceptive services to patients who may not qualify for Medicaid or who need confidential services. The Health Care Authority has made meaningful changes to the program in recent years to serve more patients, including those who do not have citizenship status.
FPO is a critical program to serve patient needs and Upstream encourages all of our partners and providers who see Medicaid patients to utilize the program. To help more providers work with their patients to apply, we’ve created a helpful technical assistance guide that outlines the recent changes to the program and offers a workflow to serve patients in need.
This resource is available to our partner organizations now, but if you’re a community member or provider and are interested in learning more, please reach out to wa@upstream.org to get in touch with our team!
In Case You Missed it
In a national win, more and more states are beginning to offer over-the-counter hormonal birth control, which increases access to contraception! Follow the link to learn more about this exciting development.
