A final report and series of five case studies, Beyond the Numbers: Access to Reproductive Health Care for Low-Income Women in Five Communities, have been released.
Working with the Kaiser Family Foundation (KFF), a team of HMA colleagues, Managing Principal Sharon Silow-Carroll, Consultant Carrie Rosenzweig, Senior Consultant Diana Rodin, and Principal Rebecca Kellenberg, completed the project.
Through state policy reviews, site visits, interviews with local stakeholders, and focus groups with low income women, the team examined how national, state, and local policies, as well as cultural factors, shape access to contraceptive care, sexually transmitted infection prevention and treatment, obstetrical care, and abortion services. The study focused on the on-the-ground experiences of women living in these communities and the reproductive health professionals caring for them.
The study identified themes that cut across all five “medically underserved” communities but play out in different ways depending on the local environment. The key factors influencing access include cultural and social determinants of health, healthcare coverage, provider supply and distribution, sex education, and abortion policies and environment.
In addition to an executive summary report, KFF has also published case study briefs that detail the findings in each of the five communities. The complete report is available here.
