Reproductive Health Care Access Initiative
After the overturn of Roe v. Wade on June 24, 2022, California reaffirmed its status as a reproductive freedom state. In its 2022-23 budget, the State of California appropriated $120 million to the California Department of Health Care Access and Information (HCAI) to establish and administer five programs designed to support and expand abortion, abortion-related care, and reproductive health services across the State.
Clinical Infrastructure
The Clinical Infrastructure scholarship and loan repayment programs are intended to expand the number of healthcare providers offering abortion-related care and reproductive health services.
Reproductive Health Care funds are available through the HCAI loan repayment and scholarship programs listed below. Each program has a specific link where you can get more information and details on how to apply.
Funding Eligibility
HCAI opens application cycles for loan repayment, scholarship, and grant programs throughout each year.
| Program Name | Eligible Professions or Education Programs | Application Dates |
|---|---|---|
| Advanced Practice Healthcare Scholarship Program | Certified Nurse Practitioner Certified Nurse Specialist Physician Assistant Certified Nurse Midwife Pharmacist | Applications Open: November 1, 2024 – December 13, 2024 Awards Anticipated: Winter 2025 |
| Allied Healthcare Scholarship Program | Licensed Midwife Doula Community Health Worker Medical Assistant Pharmacy Technician | Applications Open: November 1, 2024 – December 13, 2024 Awards Anticipated: Winter 2025 |
| Bachelor of Science Nursing Loan Repayment Program | Registered Nurse | Awards Anticipated: Winter 2024/2025 |
| Licensed Vocational Nursing Loan Repayment Program | Licensed Vocational Nurse | Awards Anticipated: Winter 2024/2025 |
| Licensed Mental Health Services Provider Education Loan Repayment Program | Licensed Clinical Social Worker Associate Clinical Social Worker Licensed Clinical Psychologist Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Associate Marriage and Family Therapist Licensed Professional Clinical Counselor Associate Professional Clinical Counselor | Awards Anticipated: Winter 2024/2025 |
| California State Loan Repayment Program | Certified Nurse Practitioner Certified Nurse Midwife Licensed Clinical Psychologist Licensed Marriage and Family Therapist Licensed Psychologist Pharmacist Physician Physician Assistant | Awards Anticipated: Winter 2024/2025 |
| Steven M. Thompson Loan Repayment Program | Physician | Awards Anticipated: Winter 2024/2025 |
Clinical Infrastructure- Reproductive Health Hotline
A portion of Clinical Infrastructure funding has been dedicated to supporting existing healthcare providers offering abortion-related care and reproductive health services by establishing the Reproductive Health Hotline (ReproHH) at 1-844-REPROHH (1-844-737-7644).
The ReproHH is a new five-year demonstration project funded by the state of California to be operated by the University of California’s Department of Family and Community Medicine at San Francisco (UCSF), in partnership with the team that has been operating the National Clinician Consultation Center (NCCC) for the last 30 years.
Launching in early 2025, ReproHH will provide free, confidential clinical support and information for U.S. health care providers. The hotline will be staffed by clinicians with expertise in sexual and reproductive health care (SRH). ReproHH aims to expand the national clinical infrastructure by offering case-based education to advance the delivery of comprehensive reproductive health services including early pregnancy management, complex contraception, and abortion. ReproHH will center equity, reproductive justice, and trauma-informed care in this work, ensuring that: (a) evidence-based and life-saving consultation is offered to any provider seeking support, and (b) patient autonomy and choice are emphasized. Staff will also be able to connect providers to additional resources and organizations for administrative, legal, and logistical support as indicated.
Resources
For questions about the hotline, please email reprohealthhotline@ucsf.edu
Capital Infrastructure
The Capital Infrastructure grant program aims to enhance the physical and digital security infrastructure for healthcare facilities and reproductive healthcare practitioners who provide abortion-related care and reproductive health services in California.
HCAI partnered with the California Governor’s Office of Emergency Services (Cal OES) to implement the Physical and Digital Infrastructure Security (PDIS) grant program. The first Request for Proposal (RFP) resulted in grants totaling $8.2 million to 21 healthcare facilities and individual providers offering abortion care and reproductive health services. A second RFP opened in April 2024. See below for more information.
Application Dates
Opened: April 2, 2024
Closed: June 14, 2024
Grant awards are anticipated to be announced in Q4 2024.
Resources
For More Information
- Email: pdis@caloes.ca.gov for questions about the PDIS grant program.
Uncompensated Care Fund and Abortion Practical Support Fund
HCAI has contracted with Essential Access Health (Essential Access) to administer the Uncompensated Care and Abortion Practical Support Funds. Essential Access has a long history of supporting individuals who face barriers to accessing reproductive health services. Essential Access is responsible for distributing $60 million in grants to expand access to abortions, abortion-related services, and general reproductive health care.
- The Uncompensated Care Fund provides grants to healthcare providers who participate in the Medi-Cal program and who deliver abortion and abortion-related care to individuals without coverage for such services and with an income below 400 percent of the federal poverty level.
- The Abortion Practical Support Fund provides grants to non-profit organizations to help individuals seeking abortion care with the supports necessary to access abortion-related care. Practical support can include travel, lodging, childcare, food, and other ancillary supports.
As of July 2024, a total of $29.6 million in Uncompensated Care funding has been awarded to health care providers and $8 million in Abortion Practical Support funding has been awarded to non-profit organizations across two cycles. In the second cycle, 12 Uncompensated Care grantees and 16 Abortion Practical Support grantees received funding, with many recipients also benefiting from the first cycle.
A third grant cycle is expected to open in 2025.
Resources
- Essential Access Press Release
- For more information, contact Essential Access
- Uncompensated Care Evaluation Report June 2024
California Reproductive Health Service Corps
The Reproductive Health Service Corps (“Corps”) will recruit, train, retain, and financially support a diverse workforce of health care professionals who commit to providing reproductive health services, including abortion care, for at least three years.
HCAI has partnered with Training in Early Abortion for Comprehensive Healthcare (TEACH) and Birth Control Pharmacist to administer the Reproductive Health Service Corps (RHSC). The program will address critical gaps in access to abortion care, diversify the reproductive health care workforce, and empower pharmacists to provide comprehensive reproductive health services.
Resources
- Reproductive Health Service Corps (RHSC) Website
- For more information, contact TEACH and Birth Control Pharmacist
Subscribe
Join the Reproductive Health Programs Update mailing list by clicking below to Subscribe to program announcements. Scroll down to Healthcare Workforce and select Reproductive Health Access Programs to receive program announcements.