Safe Spaces: Let’s Talk About The Reproductive Justice Health Center At UCLA

Where there are gaps in services that could be offered or needs that could be met, undergraduate students often choose to start their own student-led organizations to actively fill those gaps. One recent example is the Reproductive Justice Health Center at UCLA (RJHC). Founded by Hannah Oltman, a third-year undergraduate that serves on the Student Health Advisory Committee and interned at Planned Parenthood, the center was set up after conducting a community needs assessment and meeting with campus leaders. Her team also met with stakeholders from marginalized communities about the ways that they could better meet community needs.

What Does the RJHC Do?

Few would disagree that the onset of the COVID-19 pandemic has brought greater attention to glaring disparities that different communities face in job security, financial stability and access to critical healthcare services. The RJHC team recognized that menstrual products, contraceptives and guidance on receiving necessary healthcare remain inaccessible to those without the time and financial resources needed to obtain them—even though they are absolutely critical.

Hence, the RJHC aims to create greater equity in spaces of healthcare via two primary services: increasing access to reproductive health materials and increasing student access to advice or information concerning reproductive healthcare.

To achieve its first goal, the center initially aimed to set up a physical tent on campus to offer sustainable and ethically sourced menstrual products, free pregnancy tests, hygiene products, and contraception products, including Plan B at a reduced price, by the end of the 2021 school year. Given the need for compliance with the Los Angeles County’s COVID-19 public safety measures, the center settled on setting up a website that students can order products from. The platform is set to launch in late January.

To achieve its second goal, the center conducts research and publicizes information on birth control, Title IX, and other sexual health and reproductive initiatives such as Trans Health Initiative FAQs. This involves actively fighting misinformation and establishing a safe space where conversations about reproductive health can be had, which is essential for students to seek support in issues of health and wellbeing. Most of this research is done with the input of multiple campus organizations and marginalized campus communities to ensure their voices are heard and taken into consideration, which allows for the center to stay accessible.

Intersectionality is a priority for the RJHC. The center has adopted a project-based approach in their collaborations. One recent outcome of their partnership with the Asian Pacific Coalition and UCLA Sexperts was a podcast episode on birth control options, the history of its development and a discussion on the stigmatization of conversations about reproductive health in Asian communities. The center is also currently working with the USAC Internal Vice President’s Office to establish a physical (post resumption of campus activities) and virtual safe space that students can visit to seek support, to “cathart” (air their frustrations, pains, anxieties) and to decompress. This space will be open to survivors of sexual assault and harassment, in addition to any members of the community looking for a quiet lounge to discuss any recent developments that have affected marginalized communities.

How Can You Get Involved?

The RJHC is always open and looking forward to work with other campus organizations that are involved with reproductive health justice, supporting survivors and other causes involving nurturing a better informed and more empathetic student community. While the center is not currently recruiting individuals, Oltman encourages students to get involved with similar organizations or in their communities. She believes that change can happen when students take action in causes that they are passionate about.

Students with queries or an interest in partnerships may contact the center’s team at rjhc.ucla@gmail.com. 

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