According to the West Health-Gallup Healthcare Affordability Index, only 55% of Americans can afford healthcare, meaning around 45% of people in the country may not have access to reproductive healthcare.
Fortunately for residents of Oregon and Oregon State University students, reproductive healthcare has been made easily accessible and free through the Oregon Contraceptive Care Program. CCare is a program available here at OSU that utilizes Medicaid waiver funding to provide services related to preventing pregnancy, regardless of gender.
“CCare has been around actually since 1998. So it is a Medicaid program, which is a partnership, a state-federal partnership between the Oregon Health Authority and the centers for Medicare and Medicaid services,” said Emily Elman, the reproductive health senior policy analyst in the Adolescent Health Screenwise and Reproductive Health section for the state of Oregon.
According to Elman, the state of Oregon administers the program and certifies clinics who are interested in participating in CCare or another clinic certification program for reproductive health, called RHCare. “What that means is that clinics that are certified — let’s say with CCare — must adhere to a set of certification requirements, which are really centered around high-quality, culturally-responsive, linguistically-responsive care,” Elman said.
Services provided on the OSU campus are run by clinic staff within Students Health Services and there’s a volunteer program for students as well. “(Reproductive Health) Student workers support outreach efforts and provide technical assistance with CCare enrollment, further enhancing our ability to connect students with these services,” said OSU Student Health Services staff in an email.
According to Student Health Services staff, CCare services are fully integrated into OSU’s Student Health Services and serve as a trusted and inclusive resource for reproductive and sexual health needs on campus, providing a safe and welcoming environment for students across the gender spectrum.
To qualify for the program all a participant needs is to be a U.S. citizen or have an eligible immigration status, and your monthly income must be below $3,138 for individuals and $4,259 for a couple.
If these requirements are met, an individual is eligible to enroll immediately and schedule an appointment for care, usually available within a couple of days.
When thinking of sexual health care, condoms and birth control come to mind, but being able to receive these resources without cost is something we should not take for granted. CCare offices provide their patients with contraceptive management office visits, birth control consultations, initiation and follow-up care, emergency contraception and yearly visits with a qualified clinician.
And if worrying about the longevity of the program is a concern, don’t worry. “We’re fortunate to live in a state that is quite supportive, both with funding and policy of reproductive health rights and access to care. So, what that means is that I think there will be lots of efforts if there are changes,” Elman said.
To get enrolled today, you can contact the Student Health Services CCare office at 541-737-9140, leave a voicemail with your student ID number and request enrollment via DocuSign or come to the health center to fill out a paper form with assistance from a CCare staff member. Once enrolled and approved, you can schedule a consultation appointment to discuss contraceptive options with your provider.
If you’re a student and want more information about CCare, please visit https://studenthealth.oregonstate.edu/ccare. For Oregon state residents, please visit https://www.oregon.gov/Pages/index.aspx and use the toolbar to search for CCare.
