communication strategies - teen pregnancy - prevention and support
TRANSCRIPT
-
8/11/2019 Communication Strategies - Teen Pregnancy - Prevention and Support
1/3
O M M U N I T I O N
S T R T E G I E S
Teen Pregnancy:
Prevention and Support
B Y R H O D W E I S S
A
s the tee n pr egn ancy ra te r ises each
year, America's hospitals are taking a
l eade rsh ip ro l e in dea l ing wi th the
growing cha l l enges a s soc ia t ed w i th
ch i ld ren hav ing ch i ld ren . Many a re sponsor ing
pregn ancy prev ent io n and supp or t s e rv i ces . I
report
on two such hospitals.
T E E N P R E G N N C Y P R E V E N T I O N
Collaboration Is Essential R esu lts of co m m u ni ty
needs assessments and other data served as the
impetus for the Teen Health Project, spearhead
ed by St . Joseph Hospi ta l , Poison, MT. In the
Poison area in 1995, 16.8 percent of all l ive births
were to teen mothers ; the ra te for the s ta te and
the nation was 12 percent
T h e g r o u p s i n v o l v e d i n t h e T e e n H e a l t h
Project hope to reduce teen pregnancy ra tes in
the a rea , r a i s e awarenes s o f t he prob lem, and
build alliances that can be called on when other
complex social and health problems arise.
A l o n g w i t h S t . J o s e p h H o s p i t a l , t h e a r e a
s c h o o l d i s t r i c t a n d c o u n t y h e a l t h d e p a r t m e n t
established the project this year. Funding comes
f rom the S i s t e r s o f P rovidence a t S t . Joseph ,
Montana Consor t ium for Exce l l ence in Hea l th
C a r e , P r o j e c t C o n n e c t a t t h e U n i v e r s i t y o f
Colorado , t he s chool d i s t r i c t , and the
county's
heal th and family planning department .
Th rou gh a s teer ing comm it tee that meets each
m o n t h , m e m b e r s o f t h e c o m m u n i t y a r e a l so
involved in the Teen Health Project. The project
is guided by teens , parents , teachers , counselors ,
represen ta t ives o f t he Confede ra t ed
Salish
and
Kootenai tribes, medical personnel, family crisis
wo rkers, and sch ool officials.
T h e d a y s a r e l o n g g o n e w h e n o n e s i n g l e
agency or institutio n is capable of addressin g th e
overwhe lming and complex soc ia l p rob lem of
t e e n p r e g n a n c y , s ay s M a u r e e n M o r i a r t y , S t .
Joseph Hospi ta l ' s Teen Heal th Project coordina
tor .
Because
of l imited
resourcesboth
human
and financialcoalitions th at un ite ins titu tio ns
a n d a g e n c i e s a r o u n d c o m m o n o b j e c t i v e s a n d
s Weiss is a
Santa
Monica
CA bascd
healthcare
consultant.
problems may provide some answers .
Real-World Experience T h e T ee n He al th P ro je ct 's
key approach to preventing teen pregnancy is to
provide teens with an experience similar to real-
world parent ing. Baby Thin k I t Ov er dol ls give
teens an oppo rtuni ty to pa ren t .
The dol ls (recent ly int roduced in high school
home economic courses) are
lifelikerealistically
weighted , ana tomica l ly cor rec t , and programed
to produce an infant 's piercing cry every two to
four hours . To s top the crying, teens must appro
priately te nd the ba by by inserting a key and
holding it for
10
to 35 minutes , the t ime i t would
take for a feeding. The doll can be adjusted to
s i m u l a t e a c o l i c k y i n f a n t . T o m o n i t o r t e e n s '
re sponse to the c ry ing do l l , a mic roproces sor
inside records how long it had been crying before
being fed.
As
one might imagine, teens usually have an
atti tude change about what i t takes to parent an
infant after two or three days with Baby Think It
Ov er, s ta tes Moriar ty.
Adopt a Baby T he success with Baby Thi nk It O ver
led to the launching of the Adopt a Baby pro
gram. The program gives local organizations the
oppor tun i ty to g ran t t he h igh s chool $220 to
purchase an additional Baby Think It Over doll .
The Teen Hea l th P ro jec t has made Adopt a
Baby presentations to nearly every service organi
z a t i o n i n P o i s o n , i n c l u d i n g t h e L i o n s C l u b ,
R o t a r y , S o r o p t i m i s t s , K i w a n i s, M i n i s t e r i a l
Assoc ia t ion , hosp i t a l boa rd and auxi l i a ry , and
Chamber of Commerce . No groups have tu rned
d o w n t h e p r o j e c t ' s i n v i t a t i o n t o b u y a B a b y
Think It Over doll for the high school.
Moriar ty points out ,
We
gene ra t e communi ty
awareness for the teenage pregnancy problem in
Poison and s t imulate interes t in and commitment
to the project .
Winner Th e Tee n Health Pr oject, recen t winner
of the Mo ntana H ospi ta l Associa tion Innov at ions
in H e a l t h c a r e A w a r d , i s c o m p r e h e n s i v e i n i ts
scope. For the f i rs t t ime, Poison area schools
have adopted a cur r i cu lum, de t e r ren t me thod s ,
4 8 NOVE MBER DECE MBER 1995
HEALTH PROGRESS
-
8/11/2019 Communication Strategies - Teen Pregnancy - Prevention and Support
2/3
and other educat ional tools on teen
pregnancy.
Plans are under way to add curr iculum compo
nents for parents , teachers , and peer- to-peer edu
cat ion and support .
An offshoot of the Teen Health Project is the
Chamber of Hea l th , based on the Chamber of
Commerce mode l . The Chamber of Hea l th ac t s
as a focal point for coalit ions to address health
issues. Members are currently designing an AIDS
awarenes s camp a ign for t he comm uni ty . John
LaTr ie l l e , PhD, d i rec tor o f S t . Joseph ' s home
health prog ram and a foun der of the Teen Heal th
Project , explains , With the Cha mb er of Heal th,
we believe we have succeeded in uniting the com
muni ty around common object ives and created a
n e w , d i v e r s e h e a l t h c a r e c o a l i t i o n po i s e d t o
address future heal th issues and concerns and
more e f fec t ive ly u t i l i ze f inanc ia l and human
resources .
T P R E G N N C Y S U P P O R T
Teenagers who become pregnant need ongoing
support sys tems. One such comprehens ive pro
gram i s t he Exp ec ta n t Te en Cl in i c (E T C ) in
Mass i l lon, O H , which ope ned in early 1994 with
the support of Doctors Hospi ta l and the county
heal th department .
Sponsorsh ip of ETC demons t ra t e s t he hospi
tal 's desire to be socially accountable and further
advances it mission as a leader in the community.
ETC operates out of the Doctors Hospi ta l Nurse
Midwifery Pract ice , offer ing teens af ter-school
a p p o i n t m e n t s . ETC's goal i s to edu cate teen s
about their pregnancies and give them guidelines
to follow throu ghou t . Teens a re o f ten no ncom -
pliant with prenatal care, notes Dee Prank parent
educator a t Doctors Hospi ta l . She points out that
a l m o s t 5 0 pe r c e n t o f p r e gn a n t t e e n s d o n o t
receive f i rs t t r imester care , put t ing themselves
and their babies at risk. We realize that the com
munity's healthcare dollars arc more wisely spent
on prenatal care than on high-risk pregnancies,
says
Frank. Prenatal
care can prevent
low-bir th-
weight babies and expensive medical care.
Senices include physical examinations; regular
c h e c k u ps ; n u t r i t i o n a l e v a l u a t i o n s ; l a b o r a t o r y
tests;
cou nseling ; and personalized health educa
tion that focuses on exercise, nutrit ion, and fetal
growth development .
Certified registered nurse midwives statTE T C .
Th ey are affiliated with a physician w ho is avail
able for consu ltation as nee ded . Doc tors Hosp ital
nurses, a social worker, clinic aide, nutrit ionist ,
and heal th educator a lso provide senic es .
ET C is ope n to a ll you ng wo men aged 18 or
younger . Se rv ices a re o f fe red on a sliding-fec
scale, based on ability to pay.
ETC is a safety areawe're n o n j u d gm e n t a l
the days are
longgone
when a single
institution is
c p ble of
ddressing the
problem of
teen
pregnancy.
cit
John LaTrielle Teen Health Projectfounder and Maureen
Moriarty Teen Health Project coordinator with Baby
Think tOver Dolls.
he re, explains Prank. We encourage teen clients
to have goals and we emphasize the need to com
plete scho ol, she adds .
Communication Equals Success xMuch of E T C 's su c
cess is a t t r ibuted to Doctors Hospi ta l ' s commu
nication strategies.The hospital recently received
a Touchs tone Aw ard from the American Hospital
Association's American Society for Health Care
Marketing and Public Relations. In addition, the
Ohio Society for Healthcare Public Relations pre
s en ted i t w i th tw o gold R each for t he S ta r s
awards.
A t a t o t a l cost o f on ly $2 , 00 0 , ET C he igh t
ened the communi ty ' s awarenes s o f i t s senices
through bright pos ters (wi th detachable tags pro
v id ing ETC' s t e l ephone number ) ;
brochures ; di rect mai l geared to
iecus and referral agencies; media
coverage; and articles in
the
hos
pi t a l ' s phys i c i an , employee ,
MM \
community newslet ters .
W e t o o k a d i r e c t m a i l
approach to let area professionals
s u c h a s s o c i a l w o r k e r s , s c h o o l
counselors, and clergy know that
e x pe r t s f r o m D o c t o r s H o s p i t a l
were available to provide special
care to this underscn'ed popula
t ion , explains Mary
Bibcr
assis
tant director of public relations at
Doctors Hospi ta l .
Continued on p jje6 9
Through posters brochures and direct
mail.
Doctors Hospital spread the word
to the community about the services of
the Expectant Teen Clinic.
HEALTH PROGRESS
NOVEMBER DECEMBER 1995 4 9
-
8/11/2019 Communication Strategies - Teen Pregnancy - Prevention and Support
3/3
C O M M U N I C T I O N
Continued from page49
To ensure the material on ETC
would attract
teens'
attention, the
hospital's graphic artist pored over
teen magazines
to
develop
a
modern,
youthful look. Promotional material
communicated that prenatal care is
available in asafe, friendly, and non-
judgmental place, especially to girls
for whom such care might be a finan
cial hardship.
A
week
after
the
promotion began,
the hospital
was
flooded with
requests for assistance from school
counselors, city health department
staff,
and representatives of several
agencies. One local high school, not
ing that
70 of its
students were preg
nant, requested
100
brochures.
An
additional
220
brochures were mailed
to various groups.
Organizations such as the YMCA
requested additional promotional
material, reporting that all the tags
with ETC's telephone number had
been taken from
the
posters
in
their
lobbies.
The
requests
for
literature
were
sooverwhelming,
reports
Biber,
that an additional 5,000 brochures
were printed. At the conclusion of
the initial promotional period,
ETC
reported that the number of
teenagers seen at the clinic had dou
bled.
As a result of the promotional
efforts, hundreds ofprofessionals are
aware
of
this vital ser vice, says
Candy
Lautenschleger,
director oi
public relations
at
Doctors Hospital.
The promotion fulfilled itsgoals of
creating awareness about ETC,
increasing referrals of teens to
Doctors Hospital, positioning mid-
wives
as
efficient
and
cost effective,
and communicating
a
favorable image
of
our
hospital's leadership actions
to
meet community needs.
^ i Foradditional information on the
Teen Health Project
at St.
Joseph Hospital
in Poison MT call Maureen Moriarty at
406-883-5377.
=^#T Foradditional information on the
Fxpeetant Teen lime at Doctors Hospital
Midwifery Practice
in
Massillon
OH
call
Maiy Biber
at
216-837-7311.
U.S. Postal Service
STATEMENTO
OWNERSHIP MANAGEMENT AND CIRCULATION
Required
by 39 U.S.C.
3685)
1
Titleofpublication:Health Progress
2
Publication number:
0882-1577
3. Dateoffiling:Sept. 29, 1995
4
Issue F requency:
Bi-monthly
5. No.ofissues published a nnually:
6
6. Annual subscription price:
40 domestic, 45 foreign
7. Locationofknown officeofpublication:4455 Woodson
Rd.,
St. Louis.MO
63134-3797
8. Locationofheadquartersof general business officesof
the
publisher:
4455
Woodson
Rd,
St. Louis, MO 63134-3797
9. Names and complete addressesofpublisher, editor, and managing editor:
John E. Curley. Jr., publisher; Judy
B
Cassidy,
editor;
Susan K. Hum e, man
agingeditor;4455 Woodson Rd., St. Louis,MO63134-3797
10 . Owner: The Catholic Health Associationofthe U nited States, 4455 W oodson
Rd., St. Louis. MO 63134-3797
11 . Known Bond holders, Mortgagees, and Other Security Holders:None
12 .
T h e
purpose, function, and nonprofit status
of
this organization and the exem pt
status for federal income tax purposes has not changed during the preceding
1 2
months
1 3 Publication nam e:Health Progress
1 4 Issue dateforcirculation data below: September-October 1995
Average No. Copies
Each Issue During
Preceding 12 Months
15 . Extent and natureof circulation:
a. Total no. copies (net press run) 13,433
b. Paid and/or requested circulation
(1) Sales through dealers and car- 0
riers, street vendors,and
counter sales
(2) PaidorRequested Mail 10,355
Subscriptions
c. Total paid and/or requested circu- 10,355
lation (sum
of
15b 1)and 15b (2))
d Free distributionbymail 2,702
e. Free distribution outside the mail 0
f.
Total free distribution
(sumof15d 2 702
an d
15e)
g Total distribution
sumof 1 5 c
an d
13,057
15f)
h. Copies not distributed
(1) Office use, leftovers, spoiled
(2) Return from news agents
i. Total
(sumof15g,15h(1).and
15h(2))
Percent paid and/or requested circulation 79.30
15c/15gx 100)
16 .
This statementofownership w illbe
printed
in theNovember-December
1 9 9 5
issueofthis publica tion.
I certify that the statements madebyme above are correct and comp lete.Judy B.
Cassidy,
Editor.
Actual N o Copies of
Single Issue Published
Nearest to Filing Date
13,100
0
10,298
10,298
2,659
0
2,659
12,957
376
0
13,433
143
0
13,100
79 . 48
HEALTH PROGRESS
N O V E M B E R - D E C E M B E R 1995 6 9