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Poster Session 1, 10:30 AM - 11:15 AM: Campus Center Auditorium [A29]

Presenter: Pushti Jarecha

Faculty Sponsor: Deborah Keisch

School: UMass Amherst

Research Area: Public Health and Epidemiology

ABSTRACT

UMass Amherst is the only university nationwide to offer medication abortion (MAB) on campus free of cost. However, the campus community awareness of these services still remains limited. The goal of this project is to examine barriers to accessing reproductive healthcare services at University Health Services (UHS) on the UMass campus. Inspired by the overturning of Roe v. Wade four years ago, this research explores the informational, social, and perceived barriers students face in accessing reproductive care. A survey was sent to the UMass student body to assess awareness, utilization, and experiences with UHS reproductive services. This data collection aims to understand student needs and improve service accessibility and delivery. The survey of 210 respondents demonstrated high awareness of UHS reproductive healthcare, but lower awareness of specific services as well as revealed that UHS was not the number one choice for abortion and reproductive healthcare services for most respondents. The findings of this study suggest that barriers at UMass UHS are less structural and more informational and perceptual. The working hypothesis is that improved communication, widespread outreach, and transparency would significantly increase utilization of the services provided. This study emphasizes the importance of institutional advocacy and proactive health education to protect reproductive autonomy in university settings.