• Insertion of implant or IUD
  
• Removal of IUD or implant, pregnancy test, Pap test, and any additional labs as it relates to your birth control appointment

• Telehealth birth control pills (combination pills  or progestin-only pills) 

To see the full list of services covered by ASAC, click here.

Generous private donors, organizations, and foundations provide financial support to help us make birth control free and accessible to anyone in our service area.

No, we serve anyone who lives or goes to school in any the following 18-counties:

Tennessee counties: Bledsoe, Bradley, Franklin, Grundy, Hamilton, Marion, Meigs, McMinn, Polk, Rhea, and Sequatchie

Georgia counties: Catoosa, Dade, Murray, Walker, and Whitfield

Alabama counties: DeKalb and Jackson

If you do not live or attend school in the counties listed above, you may be eligible for services at one of the other A Step Ahead affiliates. Some services and coverage options may vary depending on your location.

A Step Ahead Foundation Counties: Shelby 

A Step Ahead of West Tennessee Counties:
Benton, Carroll, Chester, Decatur, Dyer, Fayette, Gibson, Humboldt, Hardeman, Hardin, Haywood, Henderson, Henry, Lake, Lauderdale, Madison, McNairy, Obion, and Tipton

A Step Ahead of Middle Tennessee Counties: Bedford, Cannon, Cheatham, Davidson, DeKalb, Dickson, Giles, Hickman, Houston, Humphreys, Lawrence, Lewis, Lincoln, Macon, Marshall, Maury, Montgomery, Moore, Perry, Putnam, Robertson, Rutherford, Smith, Stewart, Sumner, Trousdale, Wayne, Williamson, and Wilson

A Step Ahead of East Tennessee Counties:
Anderson, Blount, Campbell, Claiborne, Cocke, Grainger, Hamblen, Jefferson, Knox, Loudon, Morgan, Monroe, Roane, Scott, Sevier, and Union

A Step Ahead Tri-Cities Counties:
Carter, Greene, Hancock, Hawkins, Johnson, Sullivan, Unicoi, and Washington

Click here to view the full affiliate map.

If you are uninsured, we will pay the full cost of any of our covered services. For clients with insurance, our partnered clinics will bill your private insurance first. We will take care of any co-pays and deductibles, ensuring that there is no out-of-pocket cost for you.

For clinic services, A Step Ahead follows state law regarding contraceptive access. Under Tennessee law (specifically the Families Rights and Responsibilities Act), parents are required to provide explicit consent for healthcare services, including contraception. The consent process varies by clinic.  

Yes, you may be eligible to receive birth control without parental consent through our telehealth partner, Twentyeight Health, depending on your location and circumstances:

• If you are 13 or older and live in Georgia, or 14 or older and live in Alabama, you can access birth control without parental consent.

If you live in Tennessee and are under 18, you may access birth control without parental consent under the following conditions as per the Families’ Rights and Responsibilities Act:

• You are legally emancipated.

• You are married.

• You are a current or former member of the military, U.S. armed forces, reserves, or national guard.

• You are the parent of a minor child and have full custody of that child.

If you do not meet any of these conditions, parental consent will be required. Please refer to the Twentyeight Health FAQs for more information about their process, including how to provide proof of consent or documentation for qualifying conditions.

If you have received a bill from  one of our partnered clinics after your birth control appointment, please reach out to [email protected] with a copy of the bill you received, and our operations team will work with you to get it taken care of.

Call 423-265-7837 to schedule an appointment with one of our partnered clinics.

Our appointment line is operated by our trained and friendly volunteers. They will connect you to one of our partnered clinics and answer any questions you may have.

Appointments with our partnered clinics are made from 10 am – 4 pm Monday – Thursday. If you call after hours, leave us a message, and we will get back to you within 3 business days. Calls may be returned anytime Monday – Friday from 9 am – 5 pm.

Our office will be closed for the following holidays:
New Year’s Day
Martin Luther King Jr. Day
Memorial Day
Independence Day
Labor Day
Thanksgiving (Thursday & Friday)
Christmas Eve
Christmas Day

You can fill out this intake form at any time to start the process yourself. 

The birth control methods we cover include IUDs, implants, and telehealth birth control pills. At this time, we do not cover any other methods.

Yes, we will pay for your IUD or implant removal regardless of whether you receive a new device.

Yes, we offer free Uber or gas cards to help you get to and from your appointments to our partnered clinics.

An IUD is a small T-shaped device that is placed in the uterus by a healthcare provider. Once it is in, you cannot feel it. There are two types of IUDs: the non-hormonal–copper IUD and the hormonal–levonorgestrel IUD. You can learn more about IUDs here.

An implant is a small, flexible rod placed in the arm by a healthcare provider. The implant uses hormones to prevent pregnancy. You can learn more about the implant here.

No, IUDs and implants do not protect you from STIs. Only condoms can prevent STIs. If you’d like us to send you FREE condoms by mail, please fill out this request form here.

No, we are a prevention-only program. We do not cover emergency contraception and we do not make referrals for emergency contraception.

No, A Step Ahead Chattanooga is not affiliated with other nonprofits that provide these services. Our affiliates are other A Step Ahead organizations throughout the state of Tennessee; these affiliates are located in Jackson, Johnson City, Knoxville, Memphis, and Nashville and serve the communities surrounding these metro areas. A Step Ahead Chattanooga is funded by independent foundations, individual donors, and grants.

If you are interested in making a donation to A Step Ahead Chattanooga, please visit our donate page. If you are interested in volunteer opportunities, please fill out our volunteer interest form.