San Diego County expanding free menstrual product program

SAN DIEGO (CNS) – San Diego County is increasing its free menstrual merchandise program to satisfy elevated demand, a spokeswoman stated Tuesday.

Launched final Might as a pilot program, Free 4 Menstrual Fairness (Free4ME) supplies pads and tampons in dispensers put in in 24 county-owned services, together with neighborhood facilities and libraries. Since then, Free4ME has supplied greater than 141,000 female merchandise and the county will set up extra dispensers.

The pilot program “confirmed that there’s a vital want without cost menstrual hygiene merchandise,” stated Kelly Motadel, county baby well being officer. “Nobody who wants these merchandise ought to must go with out them or danger an infection as a result of they’re utilizing the merchandise longer than beneficial.”

In keeping with a county information launch, an individual’s lack of ability to entry or pay for menstrual merchandise, known as “interval poverty,” disproportionately impacts school-aged residents. A latest research, referred to as “State of the Interval,” confirmed that one in 4 U.S. college students have struggled to afford menstrual merchandise.

In keeping with the county, neither meals stamps nor the Ladies, Infants and Youngsters program can be utilized to buy menstrual merchandise. In flip, that may end up in folks utilizing merchandise for prolonged quantities of time or utilizing unsanitary objects that may trigger poisonous shock syndrome, a sort of bacterial an infection.

Aunt Move, a menstrual fairness group, serves as the seller for the menstrual product dispensers and shares them with 100% natural cotton merchandise, officers stated.

In keeping with the county, the neighborhood group Youth Will and Deliberate Parenthood have been the primary drivers behind Free4ME, and “supplied vital enter into the event and implementation of this system.”

A map displaying the place Free4ME dispensers are situated may be discovered by clicking right here.