scholarly journals ‘Scrambling to figure out what to do’: a mixed method analysis of COVID-19’s impact on sexual and reproductive health and rights in the United States

2021 ◽  
pp. bmjsrh-2021-201081
Author(s):  
Malia Maier ◽  
Goleen Samari ◽  
Jennifer Ostrowski ◽  
Clarisa Bencomo ◽  
Terry McGovern
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Mixed Method ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Service Utilisation ◽  
Preparedness Planning

ObjectiveA weak and politicised COVID-19 pandemic response in the United States (US) that failed to prioritise sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) overlaid longstanding SRHR inequities. In this study we investigated how COVID-19 affected SRHR service provision in the US during the first 6 months of the pandemic.MethodsWe used a multiphase, three-part, mixed method approach incorporating: (1) a comprehensive review of state-by-state emergency response policies that mapped state-level actions to protect or suspend SRHR services including abortion, (2) a survey of SRHR service providers (n=40) in a sample of 10 states that either protected or suspended services and (3) in-depth interviews (n=15) with SRHR service providers and advocacy organisations.ResultsTwenty-one states designated some or all SRHR services as essential and therefore exempt from emergency restrictions. Protections, however, varied by state and were not always comprehensive. Fourteen states acted to suspend abortion. Five cross-cutting themes surrounding COVID-19’s impact on SRHR services emerged across the survey and interviews: reductions in SRHR service provision; shifts in service utilisation; infrastructural impacts; the critical role of state and local governments; and exacerbation of SRHR inequities for certain groups.ConclusionsThis study demonstrates serious disruptions to the provision of SRHR care that exacerbated existing SRHR inequities. The presence or absence of policy protections for SRHR services had critical implications for providers and patients. Policymakers and service providers must prioritise and integrate SRHR into emergency preparedness planning and implementation, with earmarked funding and tailored service delivery for historically oppressed groups.

Sexual and reproductive health and philanthropic funding in Australia

Sexual Health ◽  
2014 ◽  
Vol 11 (4) ◽  
pp. 298 ◽  
Author(s):  
Liz Gill-Atkinson ◽  
Cathy Vaughan ◽  
Hennie Williams
Keyword(s):  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
Service Providers ◽  
The United States ◽  
Government Funding ◽  
Limited Evidence ◽  
Research Grants ◽  
Government Grants ◽  
Grant Applications ◽  
Depth Interviews

Background Australia’s philanthropic sector is growing and could support efforts to improve sexual and reproductive health (SRH). However, philanthropy is often misunderstood in Australia and there is limited evidence of philanthropic support for SRH initiatives. Methods: We aimed to understand the barriers and facilitators to philanthropic funding of SRH initiatives in Australia. A qualitative approach was used and involved 13 in-depth interviews with professionals from the philanthropic sector, and from organisations and services involved in SRH. Results: Barriers to organisations in seeking philanthropic funding for SRH activities included insufficient resources for writing grant applications and the small financial value of philanthropic grants. Facilitators to seeking philanthropic funding for SRH included a perception that government funding is shrinking and that philanthropic research grants are less competitive than government grants. Philanthropic participants identified that barriers to funding SRH include the sensitive nature of SRH and the perceived conservative nature of philanthropy. Facilitators identified by these participants in supporting SRH initiatives included networking and relationships between grant-makers and grant-seekers. All participants agreed that philanthropy does and could have a role in funding SRH in Australia. Conclusions: The findings of this research suggest that barriers to philanthropic funding for SRH in Australia exist for organisations attempting to access philanthropic funding. Philanthropic organisations could provide more financial support to Australian SRH service providers, as happens in countries such as the United States and United Kingdom. Addressing these barriers and promoting the facilitators could lead to increased awareness of SRH by Australia’s philanthropic sector.

scholarly journals Listening to the voices of Latina women: Sexual and reproductive health intervention needs and priorities in a new settlement state in the United States

2016 ◽  
Vol 37 (9) ◽  
pp. 979-994 ◽  
Author(s):  
Lilli Mann ◽  
Amanda E. Tanner ◽  
Christina J. Sun ◽  
Jennifer Toller Erausquin ◽  
Florence M. Simán ◽  
...  
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Reproductive Health ◽  
Sexual And Reproductive Health ◽  
The United States ◽  
Health Intervention ◽  
Latina Women

From Neighbors to Partners: The Adoption of Interlocal Government Collaboration in the United States, 1977–2007

2020 ◽  
pp. 009539972096048
Author(s):  
Meghan E. Rubado
Keyword(s):  
United States ◽  
Transaction Costs ◽  
Service Provision ◽  
Local Governments ◽  
The United States ◽  
Data Set ◽  
Financial Transfers ◽  
The Past ◽  
Institutional Collective Action ◽  
Local Leaders

Local governments in the United States frequently collaborate with neighboring localities for service provision despite the high costs of this strategy. Using the Institutional Collective Action (ICA) framework, this article argues that a key explanation of interlocal collaboration lies in the way local leaders learn from the behavior of neighboring jurisdictions that collaborate, which alters the transaction costs of their own potential collaborations. Using a data set of financial transfers for 35,000 jurisdictions over a 30-year span, the article shows that localities are more likely to collaborate when a larger share of their neighbors collaborated in the past.

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