Washington, D.C., November 7, 2004 -The APHA/GlaxoSmithKline Partnership for Healthy Children Award was given today to The Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention Coalition of North Carolina. The award honors and encourages exceptional work in improving the health status of children.
The North Carolina coalition won the award for its efforts to increase the ability of health care providers, youth-serving professionals and public officials to implement effective teen prevention programs across the state. Additionally, the coalition created and partners with 40 county-level teen pregnancy prevention programs and provides the state with successful prevention models, such as the first training for the Teen Outreach Program model.
Teamed up with the Women's Preventive Health Branch of the state department, the coalition sponsors a statewide symposium, which began three years ago, on teen pregnancy prevention for hundreds of participants. Training programs, Adolescent Health Advocacy Day and a statewide needs assessment survey of public health, human services and youth program providers exemplify other ongoing events the coalition sponsors.
North Carolina has the nation's highest Hispanic teen birth rate, according to government statistics. The coalition works to target the Hispanic population in particular, hosting the Southeastern U.S. Symposium on Hispanic Teen Pregnancy Prevention last fall. More than 120 people representing eight states and 20 North Carolina counties attended the event, which was co-sponsored by the coalition and the Annie E. Casey Foundation.
Findings from a 1999 statewide assessment survey identified key areas of need for teen pregnancy prevention among Hispanics. Since then, the coalition continues education and awareness on the issue and improves programs and resources for providers as well as clients.
The coalition compiled and published the "Hispanic Outreach Prevention Portfolio" with funds from the March of Dimes. The publication served as a desk reference for teen pregnancy providers who work with Hispanic youth or who are creating a program. A 2003 revised and updated version of the publication enhanced a local capacity building project funded by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
The coalition's 26-member board of directors represents a wide range of backgrounds, professions and racial/ethnic groups. Input from the staff provides the groundwork for board policy and decisions regarding the organization's vision, which includes continued programs aimed at the Hispanic population. In light of the CDC's 2003 Youth Risk Behavior Survey that found that about 53 percent of North Carolina high school students have sex, the coalition is dedicated to continuing its efforts.