Voluntary contraceptive counseling, centered around the patient
Upstream USA is an organization operating at the intersection of reproductive health and social justice. Every day our staff and health center partners work to increase equitable access to all contraceptive methods to all patients – regardless of ethnicity, religion, sexual orientation or gender identification – across the nation. We advocate for patient-centered care without coercion, to support bodily reproductive autonomy and to combat and undo poorer outcomes for patients who face racism and other injustices in the healthcare system.
We train health centers to take a patient-centered approach to contraceptive counseling. Centering counseling around the patient’s stated contraception goals is essential to quality care and is designed to reduce bias and avoid coercion. There is no “one size fits all” contraceptive method, and some patients are seeking contraception for benefits in addition to, or other than, pregnancy prevention.
Upstream USA has endorsed the LARC Statement of Principles created by SisterSong and the National Women’s Health Network and we are proud to live these principles through our program and in every interaction we have with health care agencies.