A sexual and reproductive health clinic in Pittsfield, Massachusetts is now offering medication abortion services to Berkshire County. Tapestry Health describes the new offering as vital to the largely rural region, which it describes as an “abortion desert.” Prior to the expansion, Berkshire residents seeking to terminate a pregnancy with medication had to travel an hour. The move follows the Supreme Court’s 2022 decision to overturn abortion access as a right on the federal level. WAMC spoke with Tapestry Health’s Health Services Manager Katrina Mattson.
MATTSON: The medication abortion is done at Tapestry up until 11 weeks, and it uses two medications – mifepristone and misoprostol – to basically miscarry a pregnancy. So, one medication is taken orally, and then 24 to 48 hours, the second one is taken. What's helpful about it is that people can do it in the privacy of their own home. They plan when they're taking the medication, and then they can do it at home.
WAMC: Now, give us a sense of how this stands in contrast to current services- What are the benefits here? Why is it coming to Western Mass? Give us the sense of why this is happening here now.
Once Roe v, Wade was overturned, we at Tapestry kind of had a conversation about, how do we make sure that abortion services are available in our state, especially in places like Western Mass. A lot of people have to travel to Springfield to the Planned Parenthood there, or Albany. For a while when the Bennington Planned Parenthood was open, they would travel up there, and we just thought it was time, it was time for us to provide these services at Tapestry. We also received some support from the Department of Public Health to do so. So, they funded it and also helped us with training providers.
Now, give us a sense of the current scene in Berkshire County for abortion access. It's not a super vibrant abortion access region- Can you tell us a little bit about sort of what that environment looks like?
You're correct. So local providers, Berkshire OBGYN, will provide terminations, but a lot of times, people don't have insurance, or they don't have a provider at Berkshire OBGYN, and so it really looked like an abortion desert. So, there weren't a lot of places locally where people could go. And, as I said, they would have to travel to Springfield or across state lines to Albany or Vermont. And so now, we're just able to offer more comprehensive reproductive health care by providing that service. We don't do surgical or aspirations, we only do the medication abortion.
Now, what does this mean for folks in the Berkshires? If you're out there and you're hearing this news, and you're someone who might need access to an abortion, what does it mean for that person?
Well, I think it just means more access. I think that it's an easier road for people in the sense that it’s- Even though Springfield is about an only an hour away, that's an hour away there and an hour way back, and it's difficult for some people to travel. The other thing is, I think that Tapestry, we've been in the Berkshires for almost 50 years, and we're really trusted by the community, so a lot of people that already use us for STI testing or birth control methods now have the ability to use Tapestry for an abortion if they need one.
From your perspective, what are the most important things for folks to take away from this news? What do you think the big takeaway is about this considerable new public health resource?
I think it's just that how important it is that sexual reproductive health is looked at in a comprehensive way. This is not the only thing that we provide. We also do gender affirming care, and really can meet people where they are when it comes to sexual reproductive health, and how important that is to have that comprehensive health care here in the Berkshires.
Anything about this I've not thought to ask you that you want to make sure people understand?
Our biggest message is that it's really important to Tapestry that we offer this comprehensive care to the Berkshires, and we under I think we really understand some of the struggles that the Berkshires has, as far as being isolated, sometimes, in the state, and that this really opens things up for people.
As far as accessing this, I mean, how is it provided to folks? Is it covered by insurance in Massachusetts? If you're heading there for this crucial resource, what should folks expect when they actually get there? Like, what hurdles do they have to cross at that point when they're actually at Tapestry?
So, we do a lot of work before someone comes in for the appointment to make sure that they have all of that they need in place. Most insurances cover this, both private and MassHealth will cover it. The other thing is that if people don't have insurance, or if they're unable to use their insurance for privacy reasons, etc., there is an abortion rights fund in Western Massachusetts that can pledge to help people pay for it so that they're not paying out of pocket. And to get those services, you would just call Tapestry and make an appointment and we go through the process with people that way,
As far as equity issues inherent to all of this, what’s Tapestry’s take on how some systemic issues might serve as larger barriers to abortion access for different groups in the commonwealth?
Well, that is a large question. [laughs] I think that, in general, sexual and reproductive health has a lot of access and equity issues related to it. I think there are a lot of things that are not always covered under insurance for sexual and reproductive health. For example, if someone has MassHealth Limited, their sexual reproductive health care is not always covered. And so those people really depend on Tapestry, because we get those funds from the federal government that allow us to provide these services using Department of Public Health funds. And so, we know that it really makes a difference for accessibility and affordability, how people access sexual and reproductive health, as well as many other things- The stigma around accessing sexual and reproductive health and just knowing that those services are out there. We know that we can make a big difference with teen pregnancy rates and STI rates if people know that we're out there and accessible and affordable.
