Complex Abortion Regional Line for Access Marks Three Years
Complex Abortion Regional Line for Access Marks Three Years
Program for hospital-based abortion care hits new milestones amongst growing need
CHICAGO, IL– August 4, 2026 – August marks three years since the launch of the Complex Abortion Regional Line for Access (CARLA) program, a first-of-its-kind initiative developed through a partnership between the Chicago Abortion Fund, the Illinois Department of Healthcare and Family Services, the Illinois Department of Public Health, Rush University Medical Center, University of Illinois-Chicago Health, Northwestern University, and the University of Chicago to reduce barriers to hospital-based abortion care for people with complex medical needs.
CARLA is co-directed by Dr. Laura Laursen, Dr. Jonah Fleicher, and CAF’s Senior Director of Programs Dr. Meghan Daniel. CARLA operates through provider referrals by connecting patients directly to trained nurse coordinators, who help them arrange any necessary pre-procedure testing, appointment scheduling, and insurance coverage. They work closely with the Complex Care team at CAF, who fund and coordinate appointment funding, as well as logistical needs such as transportation, lodging, and childcare.
Since 2023, CAF has:
Pledged nearly $2 million for abortion care for people with complex medical needs
Spent an additional $1 million in logistical supports for people in need of complex care
Established and grew the Complex Care team at CAF to 5 dedicated team members
Assisted patients from over 26 states
Patients may need hospital based care for a variety of reasons, such as certain cardiac conditions, bleeding disorders, hypertension, or placenta accreta spectrum. Patients who need more complex abortion care at a hospital as opposed to a free-standing abortion clinic often struggle to find and coordinate care, especially when traveling from out of state. CARLA reduces wait times and decreases financial and logistical barriers to that care.
For many patients, placenta concerns require extra attention and advanced ultrasound imaging is required to ascertain the most appropriate care route. In the past year, CARLA has launched and refined its PEP (Placenta Evaluation Project) program, which connects patients to same- or next-day ultrasound care.
CAF’s Complex Care Team has also launched and refined the Responsible Adult Program (RAP), which pairs post-operative patients in hospital settings with a support person at discharge. By addressing this additional barrier to care, and ensuring people can wrap up their appointments safely and with support, CAF addresses a major gap in coordinating support for patients who have been under anesthesia.
CARLA was founded directly in response to CAF staff and abortion providers rapidly and routinely coordinating across organizations to ensure patients with medically complex needs did not fall through the cracks. Too often, patients had already traveled, taken time off of work, and navigated countless barriers to access in order to reach an abortion clinic, only to learn that they needed a higher level of care. CARLA supports Illinoisans and patients from states with restrictive abortion bans in addition to patients from states where abortion is legal but nearly impossible to obtain.
“The Complex Abortion Regional Line for Access (CARLA) has been a lifeline for Illinoisans accessing abortion care with dignity, compassion, and the necessary medical support they need and deserve,” said Governor JB Pritzker. “Through the Chicago Abortion Fund's critical partnership with hospitals, abortion providers, and community advocates, this program demonstrates how we can work together to deliver equity, autonomy, and compassionate care together. The State of Illinois continues to affirm that reproductive healthcare is essential healthcare, and every person deserves the freedom, resources, and accessible support to make their own medical decisions.”
Statement from Megan Jeyifo, Executive Director of CAF:
“As healthcare becomes more inaccessible and less affordable in this country, we will only continue to see an increase in patients with complex medical histories and preexisting conditions necessitating a higher level of care when seeking an abortion. That’s why CARLA is so important. Everyone deserves access to abortion care, and having a system in place to help people with complex care needs gets them that care more efficiently and with less stress and concern. CARLA also exemplifies the best of what can come from holistically centering patient needs in partnership between the state, hospital systems, abortion providers, and advocates, and I’m so grateful for all our partners in this work that have made CARLA possible.”
"CARLA proves that access isn't just about whether abortion is legal. What matters is whether or not the healthcare system is designed to help people get the care they need,” said Dr. Meghan Daniel, co-director of CARLA and Senior Director of Programs at CAF. “By coordinating abortion funds, hospitals, and clinics through a single, patient-centered network, we've transformed what was once a fragmented process into a coordinated system, so patients spend less time navigating bureaucracy and can focus on the care they deserve. CARLA serves as a national model for how healthcare systems across the country can work together to expand access to abortion care.”
“Everything gets harder and more complicated with hospital-based care, from finding funding to scheduling appointments to taking time off to recover. Uniquely challenging situations require uniquely dynamic responses, and that’s where CARLA comes in,” said Dr. Laura Lauren, co-director of CARLA. “The program streamlines a complicated process and helps patients navigate care at a time when more and more out of state patients – even from blue states – desperately need access to hospital-based complex care without jumping through endless hoops.”