The Orbis

Issue date: 1/27/10 Section: News/Features

Media Credit: Erika Hyde CVS offers a variety of family planning services, including pregnancy tests.

Media Credit: Erika Hyde Birth control options are available at the Zerfoss Student Health Center.

Last year, Orbis published an overview of places on campus that sold or gave away condoms to students. This issue, we've collected information about a few locations around Vandy where students can access other forms of birth control- contraceptive pills, shots, and patches- as well as family planning services like pregnancy tests, STD screenings, and counseling.

CVS Pharmacy
• 426 21st Ave S
• www.cvs.com
• Call (615) 321-2590

The pharmacy provides multiple types of birth control pills available with a prescription, including generic and brand name forms of daily contraceptive pills. Without insurance, the cost of these pills range from $29 to $82 per month. Under the Gallagher Koster student insurance plan, generic birth control pills cost between $5 and $20 per month. Plan B, the emergency contraception option, is available for $39.65.

CVS also offers the NuvaRing for $74.59 per month ($25 under Koster insurance) and the Ortho Evra patch for $80.99 per month ($45 under Koster). The DepoProvera shot, which
is effective for 3 months, costs $52.99 per month.

ID for proof of age is required. Patients 17 and older do not need parental consent to purchase birth control.

The pharmacy is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 9:00 p.m., Saturday from 8:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m., and Sunday from 10:00 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.


Planned Parenthood of Middle and East Tennessee
• 412 D.B. Todd Blvd. Suite 102
• Contact: Steven Emmert, VP of Patient Services
• www.plannedparenthood.org/mid-east-tennessee/
• Call (615) 321-7216

Planned Parenthood offers several types of birth control, ranging from the Depo-Provera shot, implantable IUDs, condoms, and a wide variety of contraceptive pills. In addition,
they provide STD testing, free HIV testing, pregnancy testing, abortion services, and emergency contraception, which is available on a walk-in basis.

There is a sliding fee scale for all patients with a special rate for students. Full-time college students can get birth control pills for about $6 per month.

PPMET is open Mondays from 9:15 a.m. to 6:30 p.m. and Tuesday through Friday from 8:15 a.m. to 3:30 p.m. Hours vary on Saturdays.

To receive monthly birth control, students need to schedule an appointment. The clinic can guide students through the best contraception to use, taking into consideration the patient's preferences, lifestyle, potential side effects, and health
issues.

Student Health Center
• Zerfoss Building near the Medical Center
• Contact: Louise Hanson, Medical Director of Student Health
• www.vanderbilt.edu/student_health/
• Call (615) 322-2427

The Student Health Center offers 10 to 12 different brands of daily contraceptive pills, with inexpensive brands ranging
from $9 to $15 per month for students.
Patients on a birth control regimen can have the pills delivered by mail-order instead of picking them up at SHC.

In addition to pills, SHC offers the NuvaRing and the Depo-Provera shot. Patients who prefer the implantable IUD are referred to a gynecologist at the Medical Center for placement.

Plan B is available behind-the-counter at $15 each. The center will dispense Plan B to male students who are purchasing the pill for female partners. SHC also administers the Gardasil HPV vaccination, which
costs $450 for 3 shots over a 6 month period. Insured students can qualify for rebates to recoup part of this cost.

They also offer STD, HIV and pregnancy testing, as well as resources for pregnant students.

SHC is open Monday through Friday from 8:00 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday from 8:30 a.m. to 12:00 p.m.

Know Your Options
Choosing the right contraceptive method

• Depo-Provera is an injectable contraceptive shot that is effective for up to 3 months. The NuvaRing is a hormonal
vaginal ring inserted for 3 weeks at a time. Ortho Evra is a contraceptive patch applied to the skin with a weekly application for 3 weeks. The IUD is a T-shaped device inserted into the uterus by a healthcare professional that can be effective for up to 10 years.

• Emergency contraception, including the brand Plan B, can prevent pregnancy if normal forms of birth control fail or are not used. Although it's commonly called the morning-after pill, emergency contraception is effective up to 72 hours after unprotected sex. The pill works by preventing ovulation and it is available without a prescription. EC is a form of birth control. It does not induce abortions.

• Parental consent is not required to take advantage of family planning services in the state of Tennessee, even for students under 18, according to Dr. Hanson of the SHC.

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