WORCESTER, Mass. — A major health care company announced pharmacists in locations across Massachusetts are now able to provide birth control prescriptions for patients.

CVS says one in three women in the U.S. say they have trouble getting prescriptions for birth control, and it's one of the reasons they wanted to address it in Massachusetts.

“It's a convenient, easy to access service," CVS Worcester district leader April Kalinga said, "providing quality health care to patients that may otherwise have difficulty getting appointments.”

Kalinga says pharmacists will always recommend patients stay in contact with their health care provider, and pharmacists are an extension of their health care team.

"They're able to walk into any of our 400 Massachusetts locations, request a consultation with one of our pharmacists, and we're able to provide them with screening questions that they, in turn, fill out," Kalinga said. "It's very quick and easy. The pharmacist will then take their blood pressure, and if they qualify for birth control prescribed by a pharmacist, we will then work with them to determine which birth control option is the best choice for them.”

And Kalinga says if CVS pharmacists are unable to provide a patient with birth control, they would then refer them to other health care professionals who would be able to help them with their needs.

“If we can be of any assistance, whether it's oral contraceptive prescriptions or even our over-the-counter options," Kalinga said, "our pharmacists are available to help a patient assess which options are best for them.”

Patients must be 18 years old and the he consultation will cost $39, regardless of whether medication is prescribed.

Massachusetts Gov. Maura Healey is commending the move, saying in part, "the freedom to make decisions about your own life and body is what birth control represents for millions of women."