Privacy
How we handle shortage reports
Effective November 8, 2026. Patch the Gap is a working name for a patient-led campaign for estrogen access. We collect shortage reports so FDA, Congress and states can see where women can't fill estrogen prescriptions. This notice also serves as our consumer health data privacy policy, because a report about a medicine you use is health information.
What we collect
Only what you type into the report form: your state; the first 3 digits of your ZIP code, if you give one (we don't keep the rest); the product, strength and brand you tried to fill; what happened; how many pharmacies you tried; the month; the type of pharmacy; and your story, if you write one and tick the story box. We also record when the report arrived.
What we don't collect
We don't ask for your name, email address, phone number, exact address or pharmacy name. We don't store IP addresses with reports. We don't use cookies, ads, analytics or tracking pixels, and the page loads no code or fonts from other companies. Please leave names and contact details out of your story.
Your consent
We store a report only after you tick the box confirming you're 18 or older and agreeing to this notice. Sharing your story is a separate choice: we keep a story only if you also tick the story box. You can withdraw either consent at any time by removing your report (see below).
How we use and share reports
- Public map: only counts by state and category. We never publish ZIP digits, brands, dates or stories on the map.
- Totals and trends go to FDA, members of Congress, state officials and reporters.
- Stories, only if you agreed, may be quoted to the same people without your name. We may shorten a story but won't change its meaning.
- The full report list is seen only by the campaign team.
We never sell reports or use them for advertising. Our hosting provider, Railway, stores the site and database for us. We'll release report data to anyone else only if the law requires it, and we hold no names to give.
Technical logs
Like any website, our hosting provider may record visitors' IP addresses in short-term technical logs for security. Our server also holds IP addresses in memory for up to an hour to limit spam (10 reports per hour). Neither is linked to the reports you send.
How long we keep reports
We keep reports while the campaign is active and delete them by December 31, 2028 at the latest. Published totals may stay up after that.
Removing your report
Your browser keeps a private removal code for each report you send, so you can remove it from the form on this site. Removing a report also deletes its story. On a different device or browser, contact us at patchthegapnow@gmail.com with the state, product and month of the report, and we'll remove any report that matches. We can't tell who sent a report, so we can't confirm which one is yours. We can't recall a story already quoted.
Security
The site uses HTTPS. The database isn't reachable from the public internet, and only the campaign team can download reports.
Changes
If we change this notice, we'll update the date above. We won't use reports already sent in a new way without asking for consent again.
Not medical advice
This site is information, not medical advice. Talk to your clinician before changing any medication.