Advocates of Smart Teen Choices work to lower teen pregnancies – Washington Times Herald: Local News
Advocates of Smart Teen Choices work to lower teen pregnancies Advocates of Smart Teen Choices work to lower teen pregnancies
Kelly Overton| Times HeraldA Washington High School principal LeAnne Kelley speaks on the importance of being aware of issues that face teens today during a community input session for the Advocates of Smart Teen Choices group.A
Advocates of Smart Teen Choices work to lower teen pregnancies
Kelly Overton | Times HeraldKathi Atienza and Erika Frances, co-chairs for Advocates of Smart Teen Choices discuss the mission and vision for the group that is working to lower the number of teen pregnancies and A the number sexually transmitted infections diagnosed in Daviess County.A
Advocates for Smart Teen Choices, a group of community members dedicated to reducing the number of sexually transmitted infections diagnosed annually as well as the number of teen pregnancies, held A a community input session Thursday evening at Daviess Community Hospital.A
With support from the DCH Foundation as well as the hospital and $25,000 from the Daviess County Community Foundation and the Smithville Charitable Foundation, the group has held multiple meetings with local professionals and others who interact with teens to learn more about the risky choices teens make and has been collecting local data.A
Co-chaired by Ericka Frances and Kathi Atienza, Advocates for Smart Teen Choices, played host to roughly three dozen members of the Daviess County community who were interested in learning more about the goals of those involved.A
aOur vision is a community inspiring and educating our teens to lower teen pregnancy and STI rates consecutively over the next four years,a said Atienza.
During the nearly 2-hour long session, those in attendance heard first-hand accounts of the realities and struggles of teen mothers and the results of a local survey conducted as well as input from a panel made up of both community members and members of the Smart Teen Choices.A
The local survey, taken by 796 Daviess County teens, showed that a majority of the teens had good baseline knowledge about STIs and pregnancy prevention but there was still room for improvement and indicated that sexting was a concern that needed to be addressed.A
One of the panel members was Washington High School principal LeAnne Kelley who said students at her school participated in the survey conducted by Advocates for Smart Teen Choices.A
For more information on Advocates for Smart Teen Choices contact Atienza or Frances at smartteenchoice@yahoo.com or visit www.dchosp.org/foundation/Advocates_for_Smart_Teen-Choices.aspx.
Out of 796 Daviess County teens surveyed:A
About 50 percent have received info on sex, teen pregnancy, and STIas from health classesA
