Women's Fund launches second Omaha vending machine for emergency contraception

[cigaretteman]

Two recently installed vending machines in Omaha are making it as quick and easy to access emergency contraception as it is to grab a Snickers or a Diet Coke.




Alexis Pappas of Omaha tries out an emergency contraception vending machine Thursday as it is unveiled at Nite Owl, 3902 Farnam St. “I’m just someone who believes emergency contraception should be less than $60 and should be more accessible to everyone,” Pappas said.
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD
The Women’s Fund of Omaha on Thursday unveiled its second sexual health vending machine, located at the Nite Owl, a bar and restaurant at 3902 Farnam St. in the city’s popular Blackstone District.
Like the first machine — which the organization quietly launched about a month ago at the Nebraska AIDS Project at 6220 Maple St. in the Benson neighborhood — the Nite Owl machine dispenses the so-called morning-after pill for $8 and pregnancy tests for $3.
Elsewhere, emergency birth control can retail for as much as $50, although some brands cost considerably less, and a two-pack of pregnancy tests lists for $12 to $20 at pharmacies.

Jo Giles, the Women’s Fund’s executive director, said she believes the vending machines are the first of their kind in Nebraska. She said they are intended to provide discreet access to both products when people need them.

​

An emergency contraception vending machine in a restroom at Nite Owl at 3902 Farnam St., in Omaha on Thursday, April 25, 2024. With pregnancy tests and emergency contraception available, it is the second vending machine of its kind by the Women’s Fund of Omaha. The first is located at the Nebraska AIDS Project offices in Benson.
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD
While emergency contraceptives are over-the-counter medications, they’re often kept in clear, locked cases in pharmacies, which can be a deterrent for some people, she said. And due to staffing issues, fewer area pharmacies are open 24 hours a day.
The Benson machine is located inside a vestibule that is open 24/7; the Nite Owl is open until 2 a.m. Tuesday through Saturday.
Katie Mock, who co-owns the Nite Owl with husband Noah Mock, said the 10-year-old bar has a young clientele and is happy to provide access to the products they need. Said Noah Mock, “We’re very excited to be a part of it.”

Giles noted that the installations come at a time when many states, including Nebraska, have restricted access to abortion after the 2022 U.S. Supreme Court ruling that ended constitutional protections for abortion. Nebraska lawmakers passed a 12-week ban based on gestational age last year.

For organizations involved in women’s health issues, access to contraception, particularly emergency birth control, has become a more urgent issue.


“It’s really important for the Women’s Fund to remain committed to meeting people where they are and provide barrier-free access in ways that can improve the community,” Giles said.
Mariel Harding, senior director of programs and initiatives with Nebraska Family Planning, said it’s a great idea to place emergency contraception, a commonly used medication, in places people already frequent.





Tommy Dennis, an outreach manager with the Nebraska AIDS Project, and Jo Giles, executive director of the Women’s Fund of Omaha, celebrate as an emergency contraception vending machine is unveiled at Nite Owl on Thursday.
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD

Women's Fund launches second Omaha vending machine for emergency contraception

Two newly installed vending machines in Omaha are making it as quick and easy to access emergency contraception as it is to grab a Snickers or a Diet Coke.

omaha.com

 

[cigaretteman]

“It’s great to make it easily accessible for people when they need it,” she said. Nebraska Family Planning administers Nebraska’s Title X funding, the federal money that ensures residents have access to a broad ranges of sexual and reproductive health care for free or at low cost.

Over-the-counter purchases of emergency contraception pills, which are sold under a variety of names, are legal in all 50 states. The medication is a form of birth control in that it prevents a pregnancy before it starts but will not be effective if a woman is already pregnant.
The medications are most effective within 72 hours of sexual contact, Giles said.


Use of emergency contraception appears to have increased in recent years. The percentage of women ages 15 to 44 in the U.S. reporting having ever used it has gone up from 10.8% in 2006-2010 to 26.6% in 2015-2019, according to a National Health Statistics Report that the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention published in December.

But access isn’t a given. According to a report from Power to Decide, a nonprofit, nonpartisan organization focused on sexual and reproductive health, more than 100,000 Nebraska women live in counties without “reasonable access” to a full range of birth-control methods.

Giles said the vending machine initiative is an addition to the Women’s Fund’s long-standing focus on providing sexual health information and resources for young people. Specifically, it’s tied to the organization’s Access Granted program, which is involved in testing and treatment for sexually transmitted illnesses and free condom distribution.


People can scan a QR code on the machines to find the locations of sites for STI testing and treatment and free condoms. Also available is information about how to use the medications and where to get help from a health care provider if necessary.
Giles said the Women’s Fund is interested in adding more machines in the community and is eager to speak with potential partners. The organization already is in conversation with another location interested in adding one.
The Women’s Fund also has talked with other organizations interested in vending machines for other public health products, such as the overdose-reversal drug Narcan and fentanyl test strips.

“We’d love to be able to expand the machines to provide those products as well,” she said.

The current project is unusual nationally in that the Omaha machines are being placed in community spaces, she said. Elsewhere, many such machines are on college campuses.




An emergency contraception vending machine in a restroom at Nite Owl at 3902 Farnam St., in Omaha on Thursday, April 25, 2024. With pregnancy tests and emergency contraception available, it is the second vending machine of its kind by the Women’s Fund of Omaha. The first is located at the Nebraska AIDS Project offices in Benson.
ANNA REED, THE WORLD-HERALD
According to Emergency Contraception for Every Campus, or EC4EC, a project of the American Society for Emergency Contraception, vending machines offering emergency contraception are in place on more than 75 campuses in 44 states and more are in the works.

Giles said many of those machines also dispense other reduced-cost items that college students need but may find difficult to afford, from condoms to period products, pain relievers and laundry detergent.
A machine was proposed at the University of Nebraska at Omaha last year. But the proposal did not advance. “A vending machine was not approved,” according to a statement from the university, “due to several challenges including location, liability, privacy considerations, maintenance and supply considerations, and the university’s right to regulate its own property.”

The Women’s Fund purchased its machines with the help of fundraisers, Giles said. Supplies are donated or purchased at a low cost.
Users can make cashless purchases using Apple Pay, Google Pay or credit cards. The organization doesn’t store the data and has taken extra security and privacy steps so that the seller’s identity won’t appear on bank or credit card statements.
Several dozen purchases already have been made from the Benson machine, which the organization had not previously publicized.