More than 55% of pregnancies in Tennessee are unplanned. Unplanned pregnancies often have negative economic and health outcomes for parents who are financially, physically, or emotionally unprepared for a child.
Not everyone has information and access to all methods of birth control. Only 31% of women of reproductive age have heard about the most effective methods such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants. There are substantial disparities in knowledge about these methods, with large knowledge gaps among non-white, low income, and single women. These methods are also the most expensive form of birth control and are not always covered by insurance.
A Step Ahead Foundation of East Tennessee provides education, information, and access to preventive birth control for anyone in our 16-county service area who wants it, for free. Our goal is to improve reproductive health equity, access, and literacy in our region, connect people to existing resources for birth control, share information about reproductive health and preventive birth control.
With reliable birth control, individuals are free to focus on their futures: advancing in education and careers, recovering from abuse or addiction, and strengthening their families and communities - all without having to handle an unplanned pregnancy.
Not everyone has information and access to all methods of birth control. Only 31% of women of reproductive age have heard about the most effective methods such as intrauterine devices (IUDs) and implants. There are substantial disparities in knowledge about these methods, with large knowledge gaps among non-white, low income, and single women. These methods are also the most expensive form of birth control and are not always covered by insurance.
A Step Ahead Foundation of East Tennessee provides education, information, and access to preventive birth control for anyone in our 16-county service area who wants it, for free. Our goal is to improve reproductive health equity, access, and literacy in our region, connect people to existing resources for birth control, share information about reproductive health and preventive birth control.
With reliable birth control, individuals are free to focus on their futures: advancing in education and careers, recovering from abuse or addiction, and strengthening their families and communities - all without having to handle an unplanned pregnancy.
Preventing Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome
Rates of babies born exposed (Neonatal Abstinence Syndrome, NAS) in East Tennessee are the highest in the state. After birth, NAS children exhibit symptoms of withdrawal such as tremors, vomiting, and seizures at birth and often have neurocognitive impairment and motor delays (Logan et al, 2013).
Our prevention program provides the opportunity for women in addiction recovery to focus on their health and plan for their babies. We partner with local recovery centers to provide women in addiction recovery with education about NAS and immediate access to voluntary LARC.
Our prevention program provides the opportunity for women in addiction recovery to focus on their health and plan for their babies. We partner with local recovery centers to provide women in addiction recovery with education about NAS and immediate access to voluntary LARC.
87% of women on TennCare taking opioids were not prescribed birth control.
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50-70% of babies of women taking opioids will be born exposed.
Medication Assisted Treatment (MAT) can also cause a NAS outcome. Half of NAS outcomes in the state are born to women in recovery. |
Children with NAS are...
5x more likely to be readmitted to the hospital in the first five years of life, 11x more likely to enter state care in the first year of life. |
Sources: TennCare, 2018; BT: Health Brief, 2017; TN Department of Health, 2017, 2019.