The 2010 budget for Flint Hills Community Health Center’s Project TEEN, the health center’s teen pregnancy prevention program, will take a hit because the Kansas Department of Health and Environment isn’t seeking a federal abstinence education grant.
In 2008, the local program received $29,625 from KDHE’s federal grant monies. The total budget Lyon County’s program for 2008 was $76,668. The budget for 2009 is $48,751.
Lougene Marsh, executive director of Flint Hills Community Health Center/Lyon County Health Department, said the program ended up with less state grant money for 2008 so will spend less than the budgeted amount.
Marsh spoke to the Lyon County commission in October and said the reduction in funding would put the program, which has been implemented in Lyon County since the late 1990s, at risk.
“It’s not a program that we’ve ever come to the county commission and asked you to provide the funds to support,” Marsh said. “I certainly think it’s an important program for us to continue.”
Marsh said the program has the support of the health center’s board of directors and it is unknown at this time what will happen when U.S. President-elect Barack Obama’s administration comes in.
“What we don’t know is what changes there may be in federal funding,” she said.
The program has strong support from the health center’s board of directors, she said, which is willing to fill in the funding gap.
In the beginning
Project TEEN was implemented locally on Jan. 1, 1999. Funding was plentiful at that time and the project was started with a four-year grant by the Kansas Health Foundation. The grant was $150,000 for the first year and up to $370,000 for the second through the fourth year. The program also is a United Way-funded program.
The purpose of Project TEEN is to prevent teen pregnancy, said coordinator Kenda O’Mara. It addresses issues such as healthy decision making, gender roles and stereotypes, healthy dating, sexually transmitted diseases, contraception and self-esteem.
Project TEEN now reaches into nine schools, in multiple school districts, including Lyon and Chase counties. Grades 5-12 are targeted for the program.
“The project’s outcome objective was to reduce unintended pregnancies among unmarried teens and preteens,” the original grant application stated. “The primary behavioral objective was to support and promote abstinence and postponement of sexual intercourse. The secondary behavioral objective was to promote effective contraception among those teens who are sexually active.”
The project was modeled after a school/community model that calls for formation of community alliances and strengthening of sexuality education.
The Program
The program works under different curriculums based on age groups. It focuses on abstinence for younger grades and a comprehensive program for older grades, O’Mara said. Last school year, O’Mara logged 1,439 unduplicated students and 4,415 duplicated contacts with students.
The program is aimed at educating teens about teen pregnancy, risks and the emotional effects of early sex and pregnancy.
“If I were to get an inquiry from a new school I probably would meet with the administrator and look at their human sexuality guidelines and meet with teachers and see what has been taught,” O’Mara said.
O’Mara said the curriculum depends on the school. Some schools prefer abstinence-only education and some prefer comprehensive education. The classes often are taught in science, physical education or health classes. The time spent at each school varies.
The program also includes a parent component. In the abstinence program, there’s a parent-guardian interview that kids are asked to take home. Parents also are offered educational opportunities.
“That little tiny piece brings in so much wealth and opens up communication with parents,” O’Mara said.
O’Mara said she also focuses on self-esteem and facilitates discussions on the pressures that teens are facing to have sex. These include hormones, media pressures, relationship pressure and friend-peer pressure, O’Mara said.
“I hear a lot of young people saying it’s everywhere,” O’Mara said. “So why not?”
O’Mara said self-esteem is one of the building blocks to prevention. This message is incorporated into curricula and is taken to summer camps.
“In most school settings human sexuality (classes) focuses on body parts,” O’Mara said. “When Project TEEN comes in you talk about emotional effects and media. Lets (us) talk about guilt, regret and emotional pieces we don’t (normally) talk about. It brings light to another side we don’t always talk about with young people.”
Results
In 1995, the teen pregnancy rate in Lyon County was 35.4 per every 1,000 youths age 10-19. In 2007, that number was down to 28.7.
“The rate has dropped consistently over the last 10 years,” Marsh said. “I feel like that has to be some affirmation in that kind of a drop.”
O’Mara said the numbers are down nearly a percentage point from 2006 to 2007.
“Our higher age teens rates are going down,” she said. “The spike is in our younger teens.”
Lyon County also dropped from the third highest rate in 2006 to the fourth highest in the state for 2007.
• For more information on Project TEEN contact Kendra O’Mara at 342-4864 Ext. 291 or e-mail komara@flinthillshealth.org.
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