Bayside Health Associates doctors Steven Berlin, Angela Caswell-Monack, Leo Eschbach, Vincent Killeen, Holly McKiel and Cathleen Olivia Doane-Wilson of Lewes and Georgetown are proud to announce their partnership and participation with Delaware’s Division of Public Health and Upstream USA in Gov. Jack Markell’s initiative Delaware CAN (Contraceptive Access Now). This is a coordinated effort to break down barriers to contraception access due to lack of insurance, education and patient information.

Delaware CAN is intended to reduce unintended pregnancy in Delaware. The program will provide customized training and technical assistance, eliminate barriers to contraception,  increase awareness of contraceptive options and undergo rigorous evaluation of success.

Delaware has one of the highest unintended pregnancy rates in the country; close to 60 percent of all Delaware pregnancies are unintended. Research shows unplanned pregnancies often occur due to inconsistent or incorrect use of contraception. Coupled with the lack of contraceptive access, the results can be catastrophic socially, financially and personally. Accidental parenthood can lead to diminished outcomes for families, sometimes forcing mothers and/or fathers to drop out of school and/or the workforce. 

Through this partnership, Bayside Health Associates will now be able to offer same-day access to the full range of birth control, including long-acting reversible contraceptives at low or no cost under this initiative by helping to stock and reimburse doctors’ offices as well as educate women in contraceptive care and effectiveness. Bayside Health physicians have always felt the best way to reduce unintended pregnancy is through education and access to care.

Bayside Health doctors believe that this partnership with Delaware CAN is a giant step to opening the door to every woman in Delaware to learn, access and utilize the best available methods to prevent accidental parenthood and reduce unintended pregnancy.

In his January 2016 State of the State address, Markell said, “I got into politics with the simple idea that we could create an environment where more people could achieve their full potential. I’ve come to believe that helping women achieve their own goals and become pregnant only when they want to may be one of the most important things we can do in this regard. There are few times when we can create better outcomes, save money and create opportunity all at once - and this is one of those rare times.”