FASSY launches first pregnancy test kit dispensers in northern Canada

WHITEHORSE – The Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Society of Yukon (FASSY) is launching an innovative Fetal Alcohol Syndrome Disorder (FASD) prevention initiative which will place pregnancy test kit dispensers in two women’s washrooms in Whitehorse. Dawson City’s Healthy Families Healthy Babies project sponsored by CPNP (Canadian Prenatal Nutrition Program) will also be doing the same soon in Dawson. The initiative has also connected with a University of Alaska Anchorage study being conducted to assess effective FASD prevention strategies.

“Having pregnancy test kits more accessible can empower women to make responsible choices in the earliest stage of fetal development. We encourage women to ‘Think before you drink’ – to consider whether they could be pregnant when making the decision to consume alcohol,” said Wenda Bradley, FASSY Executive Director.

Bradley also hopes to combat some FASD stereotypes that are getting in the way of effective FASD education. “This is not just a problem for women struggling with alcohol consumption or addiction. It is a problem for all of us. We feel that this Universal Prevention Strategy will increase awareness among the general public with no known risk factors, of the prospective health risk of prenatal alcohol exposure. The messaging on the Pregnancy kit Dispensers we feel will help do this and as well provide a useful, accessible and affordable tool for women if they choose to use it.”

The initiative is in partnership with Yukon College, the Dirty Northern Public House, Jarvis Street Saloon, and the Gra8tful Spud, with funding and support from Yukon Brewing.  Yukon Sexual Health Clinic will provide information and access to health care.

A University of Alaska Anchorage study will assess whether providing pregnancy kit dispensers and FASD awareness information or just posters with FASD awareness information are more effective in reaching women. It is assumed one maybe better than the other but no research has been done in this area. The research will be run for one year.

Pregnancy test kit dispensers will be placed at Yukon College’s Ayamdigut campus and the Dirty Northern Public House in Whitehorse. In Dawson City the dispensers will be at Downtown Hotel lobby ladies washroom and Westminster Lounge ladies washroom. Posters will be placed at Jarvis Street Saloon and the Gra8tful Spud in Whitehorse, and also at the Yukon College Campus and one other location to be determined. in Dawson City. Women are encouraged to use a smart phone to scan a barcode on the dispensers or poster to access a brief survey. Respondents will receive a $15

iTunes gift certificate and another $15 iTunes gift certificate if they respond to a follow-up survey six months later.
Yukon College student Jessica Fulmer knows firsthand the challenge of living with FASD and supports this initiative to increase awareness.

“If someone is feeling they might be pregnant, being able to take a test will help them make the right decision,” said Fulmer. “The pregnancy test can be expensive, plus there is a stigma to buying one as a teenager. I would have known about my own pregnancy a lot sooner if it was cheaper and easier to access a test kit like this.”

The test kits will cost $2 each. If the kit dispensers are found to be effective, FASSY will consider funding them on an ongoing basis. Any other Yukon business, NGO, or First Nation wishing to support the initiative can contact FASSY for information on obtaining a dispenser.

Bradley first heard about this initiative in 2013 at the first international conference for the prevention of FASD in Calgary. The test dispenser program was created in Minnesota in 2012 by the nonprofit Healthy Brains for Children with the goal of making pregnancy tests available worldwide in locations where women can test before drinking alcohol rather than waiting until a month or two into the pregnancy.