Eagle Pass Independent School District to participate in Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program
By: Jose G. Landa, Eagle Pass Business Journal, Inc. Copyright 2015
The United States Department of Health and Human Services announced this week that Healthy Futures of Texas has been awarded a five year $4.3 Million Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program grant to evaluate the effectiveness of ‘Big Decisions’ among predominantly Hispanic youth in four rural Texas border school districts, including the Eagle Pass Independent School District in Eagle Pass, Maverick County, Texas, and in Val Verde, Webb, and Zavala counties.
The Eagle Pass Independent School District was invited to participate in the study by Maverick County Hospital District Grant Writer Don Williams, whom made a presentation to the local school district’s Board of Trustees and they subsequently approved Superintendent Gilberto Gonzalez to have the Eagle Pass Independent School District participate in the program.
‘Big Decisions’ is an “abstinence-plus” sexual health education curriculum for high school students. The 10 session curriculum includes medically accurate lessons on goals and dreams, healthy relationships, anatomy/reproduction, abstinence, refusal skills, contraception, and STD’s. ‘Big Decisions’ conforms to the Texas Education Code and has been approved and used in more than 20 Texas school districts.
“This is a great opportunity for Healthy Futures to reach youth in rural towns and small cities, where sexual health education programs are not currently available,” said Dr. Janet Realini, MD, MPH, President of Healthy Futures of Texas and author of the curriculum. ‘Big Decisions’ is designed to be a low-cost doable program for school districts in high-risk areas. The curriculum was developed in Texas to provide strong support for abstinence, as well as the knowledge and skills to reduce youth risks if they are sexually active,” said Dr. Realini.
Healthy Futures of Texas is a non-profit organization headquartered in San Antonio, Texas devoted to supporting the development of healthy families and strong communities by reducing teen and unplanned pregnancy. Healthy Futures of Texas works with schools and agencies to provide programs for youth and parents.
Locally, several businesses, agencies, and organizations wrote letters of support for Eagle Pass Independent School District to be allowed to participate in the program, including the Maverick County Hospital District, Law Offices of Ricardo E. Calderon, Fort Duncan Regional Medical Center, Eagle Pass Boys & Girls Club, Wintergarden Women’s Shelter of Eagle Pass, United Medical Centers, Family Medicine Associates, Maverick County Judge David R. Saucedo, Yeager Barrera Mortuary, Falcon International Bank, Maverick County Juvenile Probation Department, Texas Department of State Health Services-Office of Border Health, and South Coastal Area Health Education Center-University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio.
“We are extremely pleased that the Eagle Pass Independent School District and Maverick County will be participating in this important Teenage Pregnancy Prevention Program as Maverick County is among the highest in the United States with 67.52 teenage pregnancies per thousand compared to 42.3 per thousand in Texas and 29 per thousand in the United States,” said Don Williams, MCHD Grant Writer.
“The Maverick County Hospital District and its Board of Directors and Chief Executive Officer Terri Patlan-Contreras were heavily involved with this initiative coming to Maverick County. Maverick County teenagers and youth will greatly benefit from this ‘Big Decisions’ program from Healthy Futures of Texas,” added Williams. The program is expected to commence during the 2015-2016 school year.
