The 2009 NFPRHA Conference wrapped up with several excellent workshops and presentations yesterday. In a particularly impassioned workshop presentation, Linda Dominguez reminded us that no decision is more important than helping a couple plan when they want to have children, and that making a contraceptive choice can be one of the most important decisions women (and their partners) make. She went on to point out that whatever kind of contraception that a woman chooses at a particular point in time should fit in with her reproductive life plan (do you have a reproductive life plan: how many kids do you want to have? When do you want to have them? With whom? Has a provider ever asked about your plan?).

The goal is to have women and men embrace their contraceptive method, and help them to be satisfied with the method they have selected (or help them find another method that might work better for them).

• How can we work to dispel the myths around contraceptive methods and talk more about the fantastic health benefits that are associated with some methods?

• More than one-third of women report that they are using a method of contraception that they don't like - how can we reach these women and help them find a method that they do like?

• The next question is, how can we help women and men use the method they have selected as effectively as possible?

A presentation by Hieke Thiel de Bocanegra of UCSF's Bixby Center for Global Reproductive Health offered one innovative way to tackle this second question. A pilot project she is leading (full disclosure: funded by the National Campaign) uses text messaging to remind women that it's time to fill their prescription (e.g., if on the NuvaRing) or visit the clinic for a follow-up appointment (e.g., if they need a Depo shot). The project aims include determining 1) the feasibility of this type of reminder system; 2) the acceptability and usage of this system by providers and clients; and 3) the system's effectiveness. More on this to come as the project progresses...

One hundred days into his administration and it is clear that President Obama is ready to take up the important issue of teen pregnancy prevention and unplanned pregnancy with a sense of urgency and seriousness that it deserves. Nothing exemplifies this more than what we heard at NFPRHA's annual gala luncheon yesterday when Melody Barnes, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, spoke about the need to direct more resources toward programs and services that support women's health and access to family planning services.

The Obama administration has made a strong commitment to prevention and evidence-based approaches to reduce teen and unintended pregnancy and in turn the need for abortion. In establishing the White House Council on Women and Girls, President Obama will address these issues and many others affecting women and women's health. In her remarks, Ms. Barnes expressed concern about the number of teens who are having sex without using contraception and acknowledged how important it is for parents to have the tools to be able to talk with their teens--both girls and boys. In addition, she raised the importance of involving young adults, men and women, in conversations about taking personal responsibility for their physical and emotional well-being.

To advance its goals, the White House is meeting with organizations and people in communities around the country and across the political spectrum to learn more about what communities are doing and what works. Ms. Barnes expressed a strong interest in working in partnership with family planning and reproductive health care providers to ensure that all women, men, and families get the health care and services they need.

This bodes well for those of us interested in making a serious dent in reducing the high rates of teen and unplanned pregnancy in our country. The steps the administration is taking are very encouraging and promising if we are to improve the lives and future prospects of children and families, and to help ensure that children are born into stable families who are ready for the demanding task of parenting.

The National Family Planning & Reproductive Health Association (NFPRHA) is holding their 2009 National Conference from April 26-29 (halfway over, in other words!) in Bethesda, MD, and we direct many thanks to NFPRHA for including us among the bloggers invited to attend the conference.

The theme of this year's conference is Empowering the Majority: Expanding Access to Family Planning, and based on the sessions I attended today, the title's a great fit. The sessions I sat in on spanned coalition advocacy, contraception, and outreach to hard-to-reach populations, and each delivered practical solutions for maximizing quality of and access to family planning services. A few highlights:

• Yamelsie Rodriguez, Regional Director of Clinical Operations for Planned Parenthood of Illinois shared some very basic but unfortunately not-always-obvious tips for providing family planning services to Latinos (eg. recruit Spanish-speaking volunteers to help with paperwork and provide appointment confirmation in Spanish).

• Nurse Practioner Susan Wysocki offered a fact and fiction information session on Intrauterine contraception (IUC) including tips for maximizing communication with patients.

• Jackie Kendall of Midwest Academy highlighted the distinction between strategy and tactics in coalition building and emphasized the importance of creating a strategy that builds upon the strengths of the organizations involved and incorporates a variety of tactics drawing upon those strengths.

For more information on the conference visit NFPRHA's website (click here to view the events schedule). You can also check out feministing.com's blog post on today's opening panel, or you can follow the conference on Twitter under the hashtag #nfprhacon.

Stay tuned...