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In April of 2016, California became one of several states to authorize those pharmacists with additional training to provide hormonal contraceptives (pill, patch, ring, injection) without a clinician's prescription. One year after enactment of this policy, researchers conducted a random sampling of 1058 community-based retail pharmacies (primarily urban and chain-affiliated) to examine how well the program was being implemented.
Among 1008 pharmacies (response rate, 95%), 11% offered the service. In response to interviewers posing as patients asking, “What methods can I get?”, pharmacy staff most often mentioned oral contraceptives (78%), followed by vaginal rings (40%), patches (38%), and injections (9%). Most pharmacies reported charging f…