By Staff
To the editor:
Lakeland HealthCare would like to thank everyone involved with making this year's National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy event at Lake Michigan College a success. The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is intended to prevent teen pregnancy and encourage healthy lifestyles by building the skills necessary for teens to say "no." More than 1,500 students from area schools learned about the consequences of sex, particularly teen pregnancy.
About one-third of American teens get pregnant by age 20, and these rates are still the highest among fully industrialized nations. Teen pregnancy is closely linked to a host of other critical social issues – poverty and income, overall child well-being, out-of-wedlock births, responsible fatherhood, health issues, education, and child welfare.
By honoring the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, all of us can support teens in making healthy decisions, which will have an impact on our entire community. In addition, Lakeland offers a number of pregnancy prevention programs to schools throughout Southwest Michigan, including the Postponing Sexual Involvement (PSI) program and the distribution of Baby Think It Over infant simulators, which teach students about the responsibility of being a parent.
Parents, you can encourage your teens to visit www.teenpregnancy.org for more information and to take a national computerized quiz that presents real-life scenarios about risky sexual situations.
Community Outreach Specialist
Lakeland HealthCare
St. Joseph