Feb 22, 2012 •
Written by Erin Petrie • no comments
Pillow talk is no longer relegated to the bed — instead a new Web site is going viral with an old topic: Birth control.
Which method fits my needs? The pill? The shot? The patch? Where to get it? When to take it? Bedsider.org unlocks the mysteries of the elusive topic that teens and young adults alike are trying to grapple with.
The Fog Zone, a report from the National Campaign, found the following information about 20-somethings:
Despite vocalizing the importance to avoid pregnancy, more unmarried young adults do not use contraception every time they have sex.
Many were unfamiliar with common forms of birth control.
There’s a significant distrust — many think birth control does not work.
Bedsider allows visitors to explore different methods of birth control — and determine which one best fits their needs. It also includes a search feature to find clinics and health centers that offer birth control and an e-mail or text system to remind participants to take their birth control.
Real-life users of birth control have videos talking about the good and bad of their particular method, while physicians talk fact or fiction:
The Northeast Florida Healthy Start Coalition and Duval County Cooperative Extension are hosting a “Train-the-Trainer” workshop to equip participants with the tools needed to implement the “Teening Up” parent education program. The training is open to organizations willing to hold at least one class in a year period.
The training will be held April 10 from 9am to 2pm. Register here. Space is limited!
Teening Up targets parents with teens between the ages of 9 and 16 years old and serves as a prevention tool rather than an intervention. The curriculum has six sessions that each last approximately an hour-and-a-half. The program teaches parents about the normal development of young and middle adolescent children and teaches skills to avoid more serious problems. The sessions include: the teen brain; developmental transitions; positive discipline; talking with teens about sex, drugs, and alcohol; understanding teen anger (and managing yours); and empowering youth to build assets. Teening Up also includes three activities per session to engage parents and practice skills, reflection and empathy-building and asset assessments.
Each participant will receive a copy of the Teening Up curriculum. The training will include instruction on how to facilitate the curriculum and how to incorporate it into your organization.
Feb 13, 2012 •
Written by Erin Petrie • no comments
Halfway through the 2012 Florida Legislative session, the state budget is taking shape in both the House and Senate. Last Thursday, the House passed its $69.2 billion budget for 2012-13. The House budget includes level funding for Healthy Start and fails to authorize federal funding for the Maternal, Infant and Early Childhood Home Visiting (MIECHV) initiative, which supports the new Nurse-Family Partnership (NFP) program in Jacksonville. The House budget also zeroes out funding for “Closing the Gap” grants to address health disparities, including high rates of infant mortality in minority communities.
Health and social service programs fare better in the yet-to-be-adopted Senate budget. The Senate budget proposal, offered by the Health & Human Services Subcommittee chaired by Senator Joe Negron, includes a $200 million increase over last year’s budget. Cuts ($5.4 million) made to Healthy Start in the final hours of the 2011-12 session are restored and remaining federal funding is authorized for the MIECHV initiative. The Senate budget proposal also includes funding to continue “Closing the Gap” grants.
Once the Senate formally adopts its budget, likely this week, the two bodies will meet in conference to negotiate a final budget document.
Feb 8, 2012 •
Written by jennifer.salah • no comments
Buy Tickets to The Players Championship from Healthy Start Today!
The Coalition is selling “Any One Day” Grounds tickets for the 2012 Players Championship, held May 7-13 at TPC Sawgrass in Ponte Vedra Beach. Tickets are $40 each – reduced from the regular grounds pass price of $55 – as part of The Players’ Chip in for Youth initiative.
100% of ticket proceeds sold through Chip in for Youth benefit child-serving organizations in Northeast Florida. Of the $40 purchase price, $25 of the proceeds will benefit the Healthy Start Coalition, and the remaining $15 will go to The First Tee, a golf foundation dedicated to helping young people develop values such as honesty, integrity and sportsmanship through golf and education. The Players will donate an additional $5,000 to the organization that sells the most tickets.
To purchase tickets, visit http://www.chipinforyouth.com/and click on the “purchase tickets” link. Be sure to use promotional code TP3KTND when ordering to support the Coalition.
The Players recently announced an effort to raise $50 million for Northeast Florida’s charities over the next ten years, with Chip in for Youth being just one example of its continued commitment to the community. Please help us “chip in” for Jacksonville’s mothers, babies and families by purchasing tickets and spreading the word!
For questions or more information, please contact Jennifer Salah at jsalah@nefhsc.org or 904.723.5422 x120.
Feb 7, 2012 •
Written by Erin Petrie • no comments
The Jacksonville Children’s Commission released “Building the Future,” their 2010-2011 Annual Report. The report addresses the challenges facing Jacksonville’s children and programs available to meet the needs of the city’s kids.
According to the report, 49 percent of the city’s youngest residents live in low-income households, with nearly 23 percent living below the poverty line. It focuses on the continuum of research-based programs that the Children’s Commission sponsored to address the needs of children.
Some of the maternal and child health-focused programs highlighted include Healthy Families, which served nearly 1,500 children, and collaborations like the New Town Success Zone Jacksonville Baby University. The Baby University, a partnership between the JCC, Community Foundation and the NEFL Healthy Start Coalition, provideded 64 parents & caregivers with information they need to promote healthy development of their children.
Other programs and initiatives that the Children’s Commission has been involved in include:
Early Literacy: The JaxKids Book Club served 10,219 preschoolers and distributed 143,066 books.
System of Care Initiative – Planning: $9 million, six-year grant secured from the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration to transform a system of care for children with, or at risk for, Severe Emotional Disturbance.
Training & Workforce Development: 6,724 workers serving youth received professional development training.
Child Nutrition Program. Provided 592,599 dinners and 275,803 nutritious snacks to children attending after school programs at 46 sites.
Out-of-School Suspension Program: 10,123 days of service provided to students to keep them safe, engaged in their school work and links them to special services.
Pillow talk is no longer relegated to the bed — instead a new Web site is going viral with an old topic: Birth control.
