Hannah and Natasha tabling at the Hunter College Health Fair

Lisa discusses access issues with Barnard students

This week was college outreach week.  We had an amazing time talking and listening to the young people we met.

On Tuesday RHAP’s Executive Director Lisa Maldonado was a guest lecturer in Barnard College’s “Intro to Women and Health” class.   Her presentation focused on the gaps in reproductive health care in the U.S.  She then made a case for expanding access to abortion and contraceptive care by working with primary care clinicians.  This strategy is the heart of RHAP’s mission.  Much of this information was new to the students – though through the discussion that followed Lisa’s presentation it was clear some students experienced first hand the access issues Lisa mentioned.  It was truly inspiring talking with the students in the class and getting their take on the many barriers women face when access reproductive care.

On Thursday, March 8th RHAP attended the Hunter College Health Fair.  (The health fair was organized by Orli Shul, a former RHAP intern now working at the Hunter College Health Center.)  RHAP was one of about a dozen health organizations sharing information and resources.  Traffic at our table was especially heavy.   Maybe it was the NuvaRing and IUD models (most people were surprised at how small an IUD is!).  Maybe it was that we had lots of information on the pill, IUD, condoms, and other birth control methods.  Who knows.  But, we spent a busy day chatting with students between classes about birth control methods and women’s health issues.

It was an amazing week of interesting conversations, great questions, and lots of new friends. What a way to kick off the spring!