Women in Colorado will soon have easier access to birth control. Under the new initiative, women will be able to obtain a prescription for oral contraceptives from their pharmacist. Gina Moore, PharmD, of the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy, describes the screening process that helps protect the patient.

Women in Colorado will soon have easier access to birth control. Under the new initiative, women will be able to obtain a prescription for oral contraceptives from their pharmacist. Gina Moore, PharmD, of the CU Skaggs School of Pharmacy, describes the screening process that helps protect the patient. "There's a set screening questionnaire that's published by the Centers for Disease Control and updated every few years," she said. "Pharmacists will ask the patient questions to make sure they're not already pregnant. They'll also be looking at underlying heath conditions that wouldn't make oral contraceptive pills safe." After 3 years, a pharmacist would not be able to prescribe the contraceptives without the woman having been seen by a doctor. The initiative is set to go into effect in late March or April.