RESUMO
The Zika Contraception Access Network (Z-CAN) program was a short-term emergency response intervention that used contraception to prevent unintended pregnancies to reduce Zika-related adverse birth outcomes during the 2016-2017 Zika virus outbreak in Puerto Rico. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) reported that a collaborative and coordinated response was needed from governments and private-sector partners to improve access to contraception during the Zika outbreak in Puerto Rico. In response, the National Foundation for the CDC, with technical assistance from CDC, established the Z-CAN program, a network of 153-trained physicians, that provided client-centered contraceptive counseling and same-day access to the full range of the Food and Drug Administration-approved reversible contraceptive methods at no cost for women who chose to prevent pregnancy. From May 2016 to September 2017, 29,221 women received Z-CAN services. Through Z-CAN, public-private partnerships provided a broad range of opportunities for partners to come together to leverage technical expertise, experience, and resources to remove barriers to access contraception that neither the public nor the private sector could address alone. Public-private partnerships focused on three areas: (1) the coordination of efforts among federal and territorial agencies to align strategies, leverage resources, and address sustainability; (2) the mobilization of private partnerships to secure resources from private corporations, domestic philanthropic organizations, and nonprofit organizations for contraceptive methods, physician reimbursement, training and proctoring resources, infrastructure costs, and a health communications campaign; and (3) the engagement of key stakeholders to understand context and need, and to identify strategies to reach the target population. Public-private partnerships provided expertise, support, and awareness, and could be used to help guide programs to other settings for which access to contraception could improve health outcomes.
Assuntos
Anticoncepcionais/provisão & distribuição , Surtos de Doenças/prevenção & controle , Serviços de Planejamento Familiar/organização & administração , Programas Governamentais/organização & administração , Acessibilidade aos Serviços de Saúde/organização & administração , Parcerias Público-Privadas , Infecção por Zika virus/prevenção & controle , Adolescente , Adulto , Anticoncepção/estatística & dados numéricos , Feminino , Humanos , Gravidez , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/epidemiologia , Complicações Infecciosas na Gravidez/prevenção & controle , Avaliação de Programas e Projetos de Saúde , Porto Rico/epidemiologia , Estados Unidos , Adulto Jovem , Zika virus , Infecção por Zika virus/epidemiologiaRESUMO
Responding to an emerging health threat often requires rapid deployment of behavior change communication. Health communication best practices include developing and testing draft messages and materials to ensure that they resonate with and inspire priority groups to act. However, when faced with an emergency health threat, the timeline for these activities can be compressed from months to weeks. This article discusses the rapid development and implementation of a Zika virus prevention campaign for pregnant women in Puerto Rico. The goal of the campaign was to increase knowledge among and motivate pregnant women, their partners and family members, and the community to follow Zika virus prevention recommendations. The steps in campaign development include environmental scanning, concept development and testing, and message testing to ensure development of campaign materials that resonated with and were well-received by key audience groups. The materials adhere to principles of behavior change communication, and offer our insights for development of future campaigns when under time constraints.