University of California at San Francisco

The Global Health Group at the University of California at San Francisco conducts research on the provision of health services around the world, with a particular focus on the extent and quality of health services provided by the private sector. This grant to the Global Health Group would support the 2nd conference on best practices for social franchising in health in October 2014 in the Philippines. Health social franchise programs use a commercial franchise model to improve access to and the quality of public health services in privately-run, and increasingly government, health clinics – many of which specialize in reproductive health. This conference in the Philippines will target 170 implementers, donors, policy-makers, and academics and feature successful practices in health financing, performance measurement, use of technology and ways to strengthen links to the public health system.

This grant will support a research project that is assessing an intervention to improve access to contraceptive services for young women attending community college in Texas. The project will explore how access to contraceptive services and prevention of unintended pregnancy can improve young women’s confidence in achieving their educational and career aspirations and support them to complete their degree on time and successfully enter the paid labor force. (Substrategy: Economic Opportunity)