Why integrate family planning into health and nonhealth programs?
Integrated reproductive health and family planning (RH/FP) programming is a cost-effective, client-centered way to increase client access to information and services. When health and nonhealth agencies include RH/FP services and/or information in their programs, the resulting increase in the number of service delivery points leads to fewer missed opportunities, greater continuity of care, increased RH/FP access, and the sense on the part of clients that services are responsive to and respectful of their needs. Integration is a powerful way to reach women, men, and youth who may not otherwise seek RH/FP care, but whose RH/FP needs may be especially great—underserved groups such as women in need of postpartum or postabortion care services, at-risk youth, married adolescents, low-income and geographically difficult-to-reach couples, people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHAs), and internally displaced people and refugees (IDP/Rs). How does ESD integrate family planning? ESD and its predecessor p
