A free and confidential phone service offering Victorian women with information about their reproductive health choices has received its 5000th caller.
The 1800 My Options service was established by the Andrews Labor Government in 2018. It provides Victorians with sexual and reproductive health information, and directs them to clinical services such as contraception, pharmacy services, counselling support, termination providers and a range of other services.
More than 85 callers are contacting highly-trained, experienced and sensitive staff each week. About 97 per cent of calls are about pregnancy terminations.
The Labor Government will open new community-based sexual and reproductive health hubs in Ringwood and Gippsland, taking the total number of hubs across Victoria to eight.
The Gippsland service will open at Gippsland Lakes Community Health, while the Ringwood service will open at EACH Community Health.
The Labor Government has already opened community-based sexual and reproductive health hubs at Bendigo, Wangaratta, Frankston, Ballarat, Dandenong and Laverton.
The hubs provide women with confidential, sensitive and expert advice on contraception and the termination of pregnancies.
It’s all part of the Labor Government’s Victorian-first Women’s Sexual and Reproductive Health Plan, backed by $6.6 million in funding.
The Plan includes Victoria’s first polycystic ovary syndrome clinic at the Monash Medical Centre in Clayton, and women’s reproductive health training for nurses and doctors.
The Government is also rolling out more endometriosis and menopause resources, and working with Aboriginal women and women with disabilities to improve sexual and reproductive health.
Quotes attributable to Minister for Health Jenny Mikakos
“For too long, women’s sexual and reproductive health services have been neglected. We’re changing that, because women deserve our support – without the stigma.”
“This phone line is about giving thousands of women who need confidential and sensitive support during challenging times exactly that.”
“All women should treat their sexual and reproductive health as a top priority. New hubs in Ringwood and Gippsland mean local women can get the treatment, advice and support that they need.”
Reviewed 19 August 2020