Branch Health Clinic Naval Station Norfolk opened the first Walk-In Contraception Clinic for military beneficiaries in Hampton Roads April 25.

"It's an open-access clinic for women who need contraception," said Lt. Cmdr. Stacey Hamlett, women's health provider. "The idea is to provide non-delayed contraception because women shouldn't have to wait three weeks and possibly have an unintended pregnancy."

The idea stemmed from a working group Hamlett is a member of with the U.S. Navy Bureau of Medicine and Surgery. Currently three other military medical facilities in other locations within the United States offer contraception clinics, but BHC Norfolk is the first in the Hampton Roads area.

The clinic serves all female beneficiaries who have been abstinent for two weeks. Same-day services offered include birth control prescriptions and renewals; Intra-Uterine Device (IUD) insertions and IUD string checks; Nexplanon; Depo Provera; contraception counseling; and emergency contraception/Plan B.

Kaylie Mosteller, one of the first patients in the new clinic, was excited to take advantage of the same-day services and to switch her birth control method.

"My current birth control has been taking a toll on my body and I really wanted to get it removed," Mosteller said. "We called around to a few places to see what the options were when my dad heard about the clinic opening."

"The clinic is much more convenient, and the staff is very friendly and understanding," Mosteller added.

Previously, patients would have to receive a referral from their primary care physicians to the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology, wait for the referral to go through, schedule an appointment, and then be seen.
"It could be anywhere between two to three weeks before they would get seen," Hamlett said. "This enables the fleet to be more medically ready; our active duty should have open access to contraception."

According to Lt. j.g. Nicole Ancar, OB/GYN division officer, there has been a positive response to the clinic.

"We are decreasing the barriers to contraceptives, and it's been very positive feedback," Ancar said. "We've heard there is a big demand for it, they think it is a great idea and we expect we'll be busy."

The clinic is open for business every Tuesday from 7 to 10:30 a.m. and 12:30 to 2:30 p.m., and it is located within the Branch Health Clinic's OB/GYN area.

"Currently we are only doing the clinic one day out of the week. If we experience a high patient volume, we plan to offer it more days of the week," Hamlett said.

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