NORTHAMPTON — Registered pharmacists in Massachusetts can now prescribe hormonal birth control under a bill passed in the state budget this week.

The legislation, “An Act Relative to Hormonal Contraceptives,” which is co-sponsored by state Rep. Lindsay Sabadosa, D-Northampton, eliminates the need for those seeking birth control to schedule an appointment with a primary care physician.

Instead, pharmacists can now assess patients and prescribe and dispense birth control like contraceptive patches and oral pills.

“This just puts control of your own reproductive destiny back in the patient’s hands,” Sabadosa said.

A report by the Association of American Medical Colleges predicted an estimated shortage of 17,800 to 48,000 primary care physicians in the United States by 2034.

“If you don’t have a primary care physician right now, and you live in the Connecticut River Valley, you’re kind of out of luck … and if you’re looking for birth control, that is something that can be a real problem,” Sabadosa said. “This is a way to really make sure that people don’t have to wait.”

Massachusetts joined 28 other states, plus Washington, D.C., that have already passed similar legislation authorizing pharmacists to prescribe hormonal birth control.

“By eliminating the need for a visit to a health care provider and allowing people to receive a prescription for birth control directly from their pharmacist, we will help increase access to contraception for those who face the greatest barriers to care,” said Rebecca Hart Holder, president of Reproductive Equity Now, in a statement.

The bill was first filed as an amendment to a reproductive rights bill during the last legislative session, before being rolled into the outside section of the 2024 fiscal year state budget, a section that includes policies that don’t involve money, according to Sabadosa.

“We’ve watched how this legislation has been implemented in Washington state and in California, and what’s really cool is you’ve seen it work in rural communities and urban communities, in places that have been deemed health care deserts, but there’s a pharmacy,” said Sabadosa. “So it really does offer a level of access that a lot of people aren’t able to get otherwise.”

After the bill was signed into law last Wednesday, Sabadosa said a hormonal birth control training program for pharmacists is in the process of being created with the Department of Public Health.

“As some states restrict and diminish access to reproductive health care, I am proud that we are not only protecting but expanding access to hormonal birth control in the commonwealth,” said Sabadosa.

Other reproductive health budget items

Also included in the budget is $500,000 toward the expansion of a DPH educational campaign on the state ACCESS Law, which gives eligible people a yearlong supply of free birth control with just one pharmacy visit.

The budget also addresses a May DPH report with data showing that rates of maternal morbidity nearly doubled over a decade in Massachusetts.

“There’s rising maternal mortality rates; there are access deserts; we’re closing maternal health services; and that, to me, is just the wrong direction for our state and our country to be moving in,” Sabadosa said. “You should be able to make these choices on your own and access the care you need when you need it.”

One budget item invests $1 million to establish and expand birth centers in Massachusetts. Birth centers are health care facilities for people in labor, and are staffed with midwives, nurse midwives, and/or obstetricians, along with doulas and coaches.

Currently, western Massachusetts has just one freestanding birth center, Seven Sisters Midwifery and Community Birth Center in Northampton.

Another $350,000 was put toward the Maternal Mortality and Morbidity Review Committee, a group of health care professionals and researchers who study maternal deaths and pregnancy complications, and make recommendations to prevent mortality and improve maternal outcomes.

Maddie Fabian can be reached at mfabian@gazettenet.com or on Twitter @MaddieFabian.]]>