URBANA — The University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign will begin offering students access to abortion care on campus this fall, following new state legislation that requires public universities to provide contraceptives and medication abortion.
Awais Vaid, the executive director of U of I’s McKinley Health Center, said the law allows the university to have a contractual agreement with a provider in the community.
“If a student comes to us with medication abortion requirements, we will do the intake in house, and then we’ll do what is called a warm handoff,” Vaid said.
McKinley is partnering with Planned Parenthood in Champaign. Warm handoffs will occur on a “priority basis,” Awais said, meaning students will be seen in order of urgency.
Vaid said students will be able to be seen in person or via a telehealth appointment with Planned Parenthood. Any needed medication abortion can then be mailed to a student’s campus address.
The law also requires the health center pharmacy to dispense pills for medication abortion.
Vaid said McKinley is currently working with its legal team and state and federal regulatory bodies to become a certified pharmacy with the ability to dispense medication abortion.
“We understand that not every single student will come to McKinley for the service,” Vaid said. “They may have a prescription from a provider that is outside of town.”
Planned Parenthood of Illinois reports a 40% increase in its patients since Roe v. Wade was overturned; 73% of its patients are 20 to 30 years old. Cristina Villareal, Planned Parenthood of Illinois’ chief of external affairs, said that this new legislation is not about making a dent in their services, but about celebrating access.
“Transportation is an issue, cost is an issue, time is an issue,” Villareal said. “It’s important for college students to be able to make an appointment and get access to [abortion] care that is affordable and conveniently located. Having access right on campus can make a difference.”
In spring 2024, Vaid told IPM News that McKinley did not have the expertise to provide abortions and would refer students to other providers nearby. A concern was abortion pills being an out-of-pocket cost, as McKinley does not bill for insurance. The new partnership with Planned Parenthood helps overcome this hurdle.
“Once a student is passed on to Planned Parenthood, Planned Parenthood does bill for insurance,” Vaid said. “One good thing for our students on campus is that every single student on campus is required to have insurance. There should be no out-of-pocket cost to any student for either the service or for the prescription.”
While McKinley is in the final stages of finalizing agreements with Planned Parenthood and becoming a certified pharmacy, Vaid said the timeline for full access is not in McKinley’s hands.
“[Being] a certified pharmacy has to get approval from the state and federal regulatory authorities,” Vaid said. “We have already started the process. It may be a few weeks. It may be a few months.”
Vaid emphasized that McKinley does not have an unlimited budget, as it is supported by the student health service fee.
“We do what we can with the limited resources and the limited funding that we have, but we are always trying to adapt, trying to be flexible in our approach, and we want to make sure that we are able to fulfill the needs of students,” Vaid said.
Vaid also said he wants to give kudos to the student activists whose efforts led to the passage of the statewide campus abortion law.
“I know it’s not easy to get legislation passed at the state level and the work they’ve done is wonderful,” he said.