As of August, it's a lot easier for SF State students to avoid pregnancy thanks to Family PACT (Planning Access Care Treatment), a new program at Student Health Services that offers free reproductive health care.

The Family PACT provides family planning and reproductive health care for low-income California residents. It also aims to prevent unwanted pregnancies and promote improved reproductive health. It does not cover abortions, prenatal and perinatal care, or HIV and hepatitis treatment.

“Pretty much, most students are eligible,” said Patricia Michelle, the committee chair of the Family PACT at SHS. In order to be eligible, a student must be a California resident, capable of getting pregnant or getting someone pregnant, and make no more than $1,600 a month.

Even students who live with their parents are eligible because their incomes are measured separately from their parents' incomes.

Marin Saito, 22, a sophomore hospitality management major, filled out the Family PACT’s eligibility form while a PEACH (peer educator advocate for campus health) enrolled another student. Saito said even though she has insurance, it’s hard for her to pay for birth control.

“We’ve been very busy,” Michelle said, “even if we wanted to start slow.”

There has been little advertising beyond the SHS, but already more than 900 students have been enrolled in the program. The SHS staff wanted to start slow because they needed to get used to the additional paperwork and the new processes.

The Family PACT, funded by state and federal funds, is run by the Department of Health Services’ Office of Family Planning. The California legislature established the program in 1996 and it was implemented in January 1997.

It is available through Planned Parenthood and other health care clinics. If students travel or go home for the summer, they can still get their birth control through any clinic offering the Family PACT.

SHS had been looking into Family PACT for a long time. The program has been tried at Sacramento State University and other CSU health centers like Cal State LA and CSU East Bay.

Sacramento State has offered the Family PACT since August 2003. Laurie Bisset Grady, the director of health education at the Sacramento State Student Health Services, said staff and student response has been superb, though it was a major transition for the staff because they had never been a billing agency before.

“Students couldn’t be happier,” Grady said. “If they qualify, they can basically access reproductive health care for free.”

In a three-year period, more than 7,000 students enrolled in the program at Sacramento State.

Dr. Alastair Smith, the SF State SHS director, pushed hard for the program.

“It enabled the Student Health Center to have another source of revenue from the state reducing the need for there to be an increase in fees for students,” Smith said. “It’s definitely worked at other centers. It seems to have been very valuable to students and extremely successful.”

Kamal Harb, a health educator and the supervisor for the Peer Educators Advocates for Campus Health said, “We felt strong about providing services to students with low incomes.”

Since only student fees supported the SHS, from electricity to salaries, the Family PACT brought in another source of income.

Stefanie May, 24, a senior health education major, is a PEACH. She works one hour a week with another PEACH enrolling one to four students during that hour.

“It gets very hectic,” said May, “but I think it’s an awesome program. It offers the same services the SHS already does. I’m very much an advocate for reproductive health, especially when it can be given out for free.”

May’s excitement over the program is not only echoed throughout the SHS, but by other SF State students.

Kendra Shaner, 24, a senior speech communication major, enrolled in the Family PACT when it was first offered at SHS.

“Financially, I couldn’t afford other means of birth control,” Shaner said. “It’s nice to be able to have doctor appointments all covered at the school for pretty much free.”

The new program brings in public funds for the SHS while adding to services for students.

“At the end of the day, we provide a good service to students," Harb said.