Picking up your birth control from a pharmacy is so 2017. Meet The Pill Club, a birth control delivery and prescribing startup that brings your birth control right to your door for free every month, perfect for busy college women, that just launched its delivery service in Ohio.
TPC is on a mission to empower all women by increasing accessibility to birth control, an essential part of many women’s reproductive healthcare. It wants to be representative of the next generation of medicine and set the standard for women’s wellness.
Even better, the monthly deliveries include product partner samples like chocolates, tampons, condoms, lube…so, all the essentials. TPC can also deliver Plan B to have on hand for only $15 if it’s not covered by your insurance, which is much cheaper than the $50 most pharmacies charge for Plan B.
A TPC package with birth control and free samples
TPC has an easy sign-up process on their website to transfer your prescription (pill, patch or ring) to their digital pharmacy. From there, TPC communicates with customers via text messages for any needs or questions regarding delivery, so there are no phone calls required ever.
Her Campus OSU learned more about this savvy and empowering startup and the importance of easy access to reproductive healthcare from Melani Facunda, TPC’s social media manager.
Question: What inspired The Pill Club?
Melani: The Pill Club (TPC) was launched in May of 2016 by a passionate group of medical professionals, women’s health advocates, and software engineers who believed that affordable access to contraception was necessary.
Q: How has TPC grown since it launched?
Our humble beginnings started with simple manual operations, which included pre-packing the deliveries in a space equivalent to a small 1-bedroom apartment to only a handful of states. Now serving 44 states, TPC has accomplished to grow to a full, dedicated team of pharmacists, technicians, medical providers, and other healthcare advocates. Our packages started off with your birth control medications with a complimentary chocolate–now, we are able to provide your choice of birth control method; Plan B; an artisan chocolate from the ethical, fair-trade certified company–TCHO; a complimentary condom with a random fun, quirky design–ONE brand; an exclusive sticker made in-house by our very own graphic design team; and a sample of the month from a partnering company/organization. All of these items are packaged with love in-house with the intentions of improving the lifestyle choices and decisions of our astounding members.
Q: How can TPC empower women?
We are more than a pharmacy. We want to advocate for our members and help them make informed decisions in order to improve their lifestyle beyond their medication regimen. Through the bonus gift items we provide, we aim to contribute to the way women think about their health and wellbeing.
With our primary mode of communication being SMS text, we cater to that very large demographic that has access to a phone and most likely has access to the internet. A lot of our members look to our social media platforms as the communication hub for all things birth control. Whether it be assistance with getting started, or resources on how to get their birth control for free–we’re there for them. We believe that the decisions that result from our daily interactions with our members, gives them the confidence to feel empowered and knowledgeable.
Q: Why is easy access to BC important?
We know that scheduling a doctor’s appointment can be a pain–especially if it’s just to get a refill authorization for a medication that you might have been taking for years. We know that not everyone is able to travel to their local pharmacy every month. Our members might be hard-working professionals, or active full-time students, or busy moms–it doesn’t matter the reason because we strive to eliminate the hassle and extra typically unnecessary steps. The time our members save from avoiding the 45 minutes wait in the doctor’s office or the 30 minute drive to their closest, preferred pharmacy is time that can be used work on that next job promotion, or time to study and get that 4.0 GPA, or time bonding with their baby.
Visit The Pill Club’s website to learn more details and sign up!