PRESS RELEASE Contact: Janet Riessman
November 6, 2006 202-466-3825
JUST IN TIME: Not-2-Late.com
Premiere Emergency Contraception Website Ramps Up to
Fill Education Void as ‘Morning After Pill’ Goes Over-the-Counter
Washington, DC – November 6, 2006 – The premiere emergency contraception (EC) Website, Not-2-Late.com—one of the original health-oriented Websites created more that a dozen years ago—has undergone a major overhaul. The revised site serves a vital role to consumers and pharmacists, particularly now that the FDA has granted over-the-counter status (to those 18 and older) to Plan B®, and the product will reach pharmacists’ counters this month.
The revised site features a fresh and appealing look, improved menu structure, expanded content, and compelling video testimonials from women who have actually used EC. Additionally, it provides valuable information and clarification for pharmacists, many of whom will find themselves in a new role of counselors to consumers about EC.
The Website is managed and operated by the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP) and the Office of Population Research at Princeton University (OPR).
“Not-2-Late has always been the ‘go to place’ for accurate, evidence-based information about EC. With this major update in design and functionality, the site’s look and feel keep up with the evolution of Internet technology,” said Wayne C. Shields, ARHP president & CEO. “We did what people expect for such a highly-respected on-line resource: we made it fit today’s and tomorrow’s Web users.”
The Internet is a powerful and often very immediate research tool as revealed by research published by the Pew Internet & American Life Project: eighty percent of American Internet users, or some 113 million adults, have searched for health information on the Internet.
“We have witnessed a dramatic increase in the use of Not-2-Late.com over time. Women from around the world contact us regularly to express their appreciation for access to accurate information about emergency contraception, and the new features on the Website make that information even more accessible,” said James Trussell, PhD, director of OPR and founder of Not-2-Late.com. “With EC available over the counter, the need for credible, unbiased information is even greater.”
The Emergency Contraception Website was established in 1994 by Dr. Trussell and was one of the first Websites to offer women reproductive health information. Although the content of the site has been kept up to date over the years, the design remained static. In 2006, the EC Website’s managing partner, the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals, received funding from the Hewlett Foundation for the overhaul.
The Emergency Contraception Web site works to increase women's knowledge about and timely access to emergency contraception (EC) and other reproductive health choices, both in the United States and abroad. To accomplish this, the Website provides:
· Accurate information about EC derived from the medical literature (in English, Spanish, French and Arabic). All content is peer reviewed by a panel of independent experts;
· A searchable database of EC providers in the United States;
· A searchable database of EC pills in every country;
· Information to women and their partners about how they can use regular contraceptive pills for EC; and
· Resources to clinicians, pharmacists, researchers, media representatives, policy makers, and others seeking up-to-date scientifically-based information about EC.
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For more information about the Association of Reproductive Health Professionals (ARHP), visit: www.arhp.org.
For more information about Office of Population Research at Princeton University (OPR), visit: http://opr.princeton.edu/.
To explore the Emergency Contraception Website, visit: www.Not-2-Late.com.
Issued by:
Association of Reproductive Health Professionals u 2401 Pennsylvania Ave., NW, Suite 350 u Washington, DC 20037