Submitted by the Island Reproductive Health Initiative.
It is now possible for a teen or young woman to go to a local medical provider and quickly receive confidential reproductive health care at minimal or no cost. That may include counseling, examination, related lab work, a three-month supply of birth control, and the “morning after” pill. Free condoms and information are provided at several island locations.
How did all this come to be? More than 30 people gathered at the Orcas Middle School in February 2009 to share concerns about the prevention of unwanted pregnancies and the spread of sexually transmitted diseases on Orcas.
Lack of local access to affordable and timely birth control and reproductive health care were deemed a serious problem for young women who are under- or uninsured.
“For teens especially, confidentiality in our small community is an important issue, particularly for those who lack open communication with their parents about sex,” said Orcas Island Prevention Partnership (OIPP) director Marta Nielsen. “For these teens, lack of access to medically accurate information can pose problems.”
To explore these problems and seek solutions, help was requested from Mount Baker Planned Parenthood, which said the cost of establishing a small, full-time planned parenthood clinic on Orcas would be at least $50,000 a year.
“The group’s consensus was to work on a local solution that would meet our needs and cost far less,” Nielsen said.
A small core of interested individuals, including island medical professionals, proposed that if all of the island’s medical providers could provide the services, which would include counseling and birth control, then inexpensive or free local access to full time, timely care for patients would be possible.
Island Reproductive Health Initiative (IRHI) was formed in June 2009, and work began on implementing the proposed cooperative effort among Orcas Family Health Center, Orcas Medical Center, Treehouse Pediatrics, Orcas Island Family Medicine, and Orcas Island’s certified Nurse Midwife.
Nielsen, along with Orcas Family Connection’s board president Ethna Flanagan, led the early meetings. Orcas PTSA past president Barbara Skotte was a strong advocate for school-based education. Greg Ayers, of the Orcas Medical Foundation, and a physician himself, joined the group to help develop the protocols, as well as to set up working connections with the OMF and Orcas Island Community Foundation (OICF). Jean Henigson became the fundraising leader for the group, and coordinator of information and needs with other organizations through OIPP.
“Word has spread quickly during this first year,” Nielsen said. “The number of IRHI patients seen in the past three months has significantly increased. Our initial estimate of helping 35 to 50 patients annually is likely to be exceeded. Even so, through IRHI, we islanders will be able to accommodate these patients, not for the originally suggested $50,000, but for only $25,000 per year.”
In June 2010, the Orcas School Board unanimously approved teaching sexual health education in the public school. The state-approved curriculum will be presented to grades five through 12. It will teach prevention of HIV and STDs, understanding and respect for oneself and one’s body, and making informed, responsible sexual choices, including abstinence.
In November 2010, Dr. Evan Buxbaum met with the boys, and Dr. Sarah Lyle met with the girls, for separate informational meetings during the ninth, tenth, and eleventh grade Navigation 101 class periods. Kevin O’Brien, EMT, parent, and assistant basketball coach, will meet with the twelfth grade boys and more small-group meetings with these students are planned for the spring.
Orcas Elementary/Middle school principal Kyle Freeman is working with Tracy Dahlstedt, instructor for the state’s Sexuality Education Project and its Center for Health, to implement teacher training for the sexual health curriculum. Materials have been purchased by the PTSA.
“The Island Reproductive Health Initiative is truly a grass-roots, collaborative effort,” Nielsen said. “IRHI needs your help to ensure the continued success of this vital community program.”
The Orcas Island Community Foundation manages the Island Reproductive Health Initiative Fund. Tax-deductible donations can be made to OICF–IRHI Fund. Mail your contribution today to: OICF–IRHI Fund, P.O. Box 1496, Eastsound, WA 98245.
Learn more at upcoming meeting
On Monday, Dec. 13 from 5:30 to 7 p.m., at the Orcas School Library, IRHI will hold a general meeting to review its progress and plan for the future. The community is welcome to attend. For more information, contact Jean Henigson at 376-6549.
