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Students seek to educate future providers In Charleston County, where nearly one-third of the births are to girls under age 17, three groups are working to ensure safe and legal access to emergency birth control pills as an option for all girls and young women.   The Medical Students for Choice at MUSC, College of Charleston Health Center, and the Charleston County Teen Pregnancy Prevention Council (CCTPPC) each received seed grants earlier this year from the South Carolina Emergency Contraception Initiative to implement its year-long plans to educate people about emergency birth control pills. The first two grantees received $1,000 each, and the CCTPPC received $2,000.   The goals of the organizations are to educate teens and young women of their right to emergency birth control pills and to inform doctors, pharmacists and other health care providers about the facts about emergency contraception so that they can better advise their patients.   “Our focus has been educating future health care providers,” said Sydney Cummings, head of Medical Students for Choice. “We’ve found that many MUSC students don’t know the difference between emergency birth control pills and RU-486,” she said.   Emergency birth control pills (packaged and sold as Plan B) are a concentrated dose of the same hormones found in regular birth control pills. Also known as the morning after pill, emergency contraception, EC or Plan B, can reduce the risk of pregnancy by up to 89 percent if taken within three days (72 hours) of unprotected or unwanted sexual intercourse.   They are commonly mistaken for the abortion pill RU-486, or mifepristone, which terminates a pregnancy. Dispelling this myth is a main goal of all three grantees in Charleston.   “By letting them know that Plan B is not the abortion pill, we can urge pharmacies to provide Plan B or, at the very least, direct patients to where they can get it,” added Cummings. She anticipates that, in conjunction with the other Charleston grantees, they can grow the list of pharmacies carrying emergency birth control pills by further educating health providers and pharmacists.   Thus far, the MUSC team has distributed materials about emergency birth control pills at student fairs and hosted 300 students for a luncheon and panel discussion with local health professionals.   Laura Lindroth, program manager of the College of Charleston Health Center group, believes that young collegiate women are benefiting from outreach efforts that include targeted brochures, direct contact with student organizations, and the education of campus health services staff at the College of Charleston.   Last August, Plan B was made available nationwide without a prescription to individuals ages 18 and older. Because those younger than 18 still need a prescription from their doctor or clinic to get emergency birth control pills, Charleston County Teen Pregnancy Prevention Council, headed by Janet Stevens, is working to reach young women ages 16 and 17 specifically. During the past year, the group has distributed information in health clinics and public libraries in Charleston County, and held workshops for teens and professionals who serve teens.   “The more familiar people are with the topic, the more likely they are to cover it when talking to teens,” Stevens said. Through continued work “beefing up” the list of pharmacies that provide Plan B, Stevens believes there will be a significant drop in the pregnancy rates in both the teen and young adult populations of Charleston.   “I am really pleased with the success these organizations have had in reaching people in the community,” said Lottie McClorin, program manager of the S.C. Emergency Contraception Initiative. They are doing an excellent job in educating Charleston residents about emergency birth control pills.   The S.C. Emergency Contraception Initiative, a project of New Morning Foundation in partnership with Advocates for Youth, is working to empower women in South Carolina by raising awareness and enhancing availability of emergency birth control pills.   For additional information, visit http:// www.morningafterinfo.org.     Friday, Aug. 24, 2007 Catalyst Online is published weekly, updated as needed and improved from time to time by the MUSC Office of Public Relations for the faculty, employees and students of the Medical University of South Carolina. Catalyst Online editor, Kim Draughn, can be reached at 792-4107 or by email, catalyst@musc.edu. Editorial copy can be submitted to Catalyst Online and to The Catalyst in print by fax, 792-6723, or by email to catalyst@musc.edu. To place an ad in The Catalyst hardcopy, call Island Publications at 849-1778, ext. 201.