School Based Health Center Takes Aim At Teen Pregnancy

Between 2004 and 2008, 460 girls between the ages 15 and 19 gave birth in Woonsocket according to the Rhode Island Department of Health. Of those young mothers, 134 were between the ages of 15 and 17, and in that group, 87 had their second child by 2009.

These figures, delivered to the School Committee last week by an army of experts in health and education from across the state, began a discussion on Family Planning. Dr. Peter Simon, Chief Physician from the Rhode Island Department of Health joined representatives from KidsCount, Parenting in Progress, The MET, Woonsocket Prevention Coalition, Thundermist Health Center, THC Women’s Health, Neighborworks Blackstone River Valley, Family Resources Community Action and the School Based Health Center (SBHC) at WHS.

The group's purpose, in part, was to demonstrate to educators how expanding services offered at the Thundermist Health Hut at Woonsocket High School to include family planning and contraception at the parent's discretion could help to alleviate problems from neglect and abuse, to poverty and the prevalence sexually transmitted disease in the entire community.

"Solving this problem would be a huge step towards breaking the cycle of poverty," said School Committeewoman Vimala Phongsavanh. "What I want us to do now is take off our blindfolds."

Lianne Barrett, Policy Analyst from Kids Count, the group that produces the yearly factbook on youth health statistics in the state, delivered more disturbing news. Woonsocket has second highest teen birth rate in the state, more than double the state average. Children born to a mother under the age of 20 without a high school diploma are nine times more likely to live in poverty, more likely to suffer abuse and neglect, and more likely to enter the foster care system.

"This is your incoming population of children to educate," Barrett told the Committee.

Deb Smith, a 16-year veteran of Parenting in Progress, a GED program for young moms at the YWCA, explained how lack of education regarding sexual health and available services has left many city women hopeless and disenfranchised, without adequate parenting skills. 600 women have enrolled in the program over the past 16 years.

"In the vast majority of these cases, the young woman have no dreams, no hopes, no goals," said Smith. The program offers extensive health education curriculum and contraception to students. Of the 92 women enrolled in the program over the past three years, only two have had repeat pregnancies.

"I strongly believe that health education curriculums in the schools promote safe, informed and healthy decisions," said Smith.

Elaine Card, former dean of students at Woonsocket High School discussed the high rates of sexually transmitted disease in the student population including chlamydia, herpes and HPV. 

"Most of our teens are or will become sexual and too often have unprotected sex," Card said. "How often and how safe depends on how much knowledge and support they have."

"It's been a dream for a number of us at the high school for years to really make an impact and bring on site services that are available, accessible and delivered by trusted adults, in a place that the kids feel safe," Card added.

Beata Nelken, a pediatrician at Thundermist Health Center testified that few of the students that go to the health hut ever visit an off-site clinic where they can actually receive treatment and services, including students that are pregnant or concerned about a possible STD.

"Our kids don't make that leap going out the door," Nelken said. "Approximately half the teens referred never show up."

At their next regular meeting, the Committee is expected to vote on adding two separate signatures to the Thundermist Health Hut consent forms. One signature will authorize medical care and visits, and another will allow family planning and contraception visits.  Currently the School Based Health Center can only provide advice without prescriptions or contraception for family planning.