Teen Wellness Initiative

  Teen Wellness Initiative

Program Description:

The Teen Wellness Initiative coordinates teenage pregnancy prevention projects throughout Cuyahoga County.  The Cuyahoga County Board of Health, in partnership with seven target school districts and a host of community based organizations, provides comprehensive programming, utilizing nationally researched strategies to improve outcomes related to early/unintended adolescent pregnancies.  These strategies include:  classroom-based comprehensive sexual education; professional training and certification for all classroom facilitators; parent and community education; supportive health services including resource dissemination; and the development of public health policies.   The Cuyahoga County Board of Health has been the administering agent for this program since 1997.   

School Based Intervention:

School based programming is currently being provided to: East Cleveland, Euclid, South Euclid/Lyndhurst, Parma, Warrensville and the entire Kindergarten through 12th grade student body of the Cleveland Municipal School District 

Program Evaluation:

Case Western Reserve University's Division of Adolescent Health is conducting an evaluation of the Cleveland Municipal School District 's K-12 program expansion as well as the county wide Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS).  To view 2004's YRBS summary Click Here.   

Parent Workshops:

PATTHS (Parents are Teaching and Talking about Healthy Sexuality) is an educational workshop that will help parents learn how to talk to their children about the tough issues surrounding teenage sexuality.   Click here to view and/or print the 2007 PATTHS workshop brochure.

Youth Pages:

In the fall of 2007 another volume of the Youth Pages will be released by the United Way of Greater Cleveland's First Call for Help.   The Youth pages act as a resource guide for information and services geared towards teens throughout Cuyahoga County.   Click the logo above to view the 2005 Youth Pages

Web site and Media Campaign:

The Get It? Facts website was launched in October of 2006.  Get It? is the Teen Wellness Initiatives marketing campaign put in place to  help teens find important information and resources on the prevention of STDs, HIV, and Teenage pregnancy.   Click the above logo to view the Get It Facts? Webpage.

Teen and Family Summits

Teen Summits:  Teens from aound the county are invited to participate in three special forums that will focus on exposing the facts about a number of teen issues.   Topics covered include:  teen pregnancy, career development, drug & alcohol and STDs.  The teens participating in the forums will meet and interact with local and national business and community leaders.

Family Summits:  The Teen Wellness Initiative conducts a series of community-based family fun events.  These events bring youth and their parents/caregivers together to educate them on the alarming rate of teen pregnancy as well as underscore other issues faced by teens on a day-to-day basis.  These events entail a brief presentation that highlights teen issues, which is followed by a family bowling party. 

Cleveland Social Marketing Campaign:

In the fall of 2005, the Cleveland Department of Public Health received a grant from CCBH to implement a HIV/STD/Teen Pregnancy Social Marketing Reduction Campaign.  The projects objectives were to raise awareness about HIV, STDs, and pregnancy and promote and increase health-seeking behaviors among youth.  To view the full Cleveland Youth RARE and Social Marketing campaign report Click Here.

The Teen Wellness Initiative is funded by the Cuyahoga County Commissioners on behalf of the Family and Children First Council.

For more information, please contact: