Giving Compass' Take:

· Writing for PSI, Miles Kemplay of the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation discusses the rise of self-care in healthcare and how it shifts power to the hands of consumers.

· What is self-care healthcare? How does it provide an opportunity for philanthropy to make progress towards universal access to SRHR? 

· Here's more on healthcare and healthcare reformin the United States.

For the last five years, the Children’s Investment Fund Foundation (CIFF) has invested in improving the sexual and reproductive health and rights (SRHR) of young people.

During this time, we have spent over US$220 million to prevent unplanned pregnancies, unsafe abortions, HIV, sexually transmitted infections and sexual violence among adolescents and young people, often through co-funded programs with other foundations and governments.

We have always been biased toward approaches and interventions that rapidly shift power away from those that have power—the funders, politicians, policymakers, implementers and service providers—and place it firmly in the hands of consumers seeking SRHR information, choices and services.

Self-care in healthcare is one of the most powerful ways to make this power shift a reality. It creates a real opportunity for philanthropy to accelerate progress toward universal access to SRHR. It is not a new idea, and certain services already offer such options: pregnancy test kits, a daily pill to prevent pregnancy (and now HIV) or an easy self-test to know your HIV status.

Read the full article about self-care healthcare by Miles Kemplay at PSI.