As reported in The Denver Post on Sunday August 22, Bruce Randolph School has begun distributing contraception including condoms, birth-control pills and emergency contraception to students whose parents have signed them up for services at the school-based health centers.

This important move, supported by 90 percent of Bruce Randolph parents who voted on the issue in a March schoolwide meeting, prioritizes the health, wellness and academic success of students.

The Healthy Colorado Youth Alliance supports the decision of the parents and staff at Bruce Randolph and believes that adequate access to comprehensive sexuality education, resources and services is essential for creating a student body of informed youth making responsible decisions and leading healthy lives.

To read The Denver Post article, click here.

From the Family Violence Prevention Fund
Jul 1, 2010

American Indian and Alaska Native (AI/AN) women living in urban areas are more likely than non-Hispanic whites to report: non-voluntary first sexual intercourse, unintended and teen pregnancies, unprotected first sex, and first sex with older partners. Those are among the findings from a new study from the Urban Indian Health Institute.

The report calls the high rates of sexual violence experienced by urban AI/AN women “intolerable.” It recommends that “the context in which sexual violence occurs for urban AI/AN communities must be examined closely to learn how to promote justice and address the underlying issues.”

Urban AI/AN women who had been forced to have sexual intercourse were more likely than non-Hispanic whites to have initiated sex at a young age. Lead researcher Shira Rutman told USA Today that this was “a sign of early risky behavior.”

The report, Reproductive Health of Urban American Indian and Alaska Native Women, recommends more youth-focused programming that addresses unintended pregnancy, poor birth outcomes and sexually transmitted infections, since risk factors were found to occur especially among young urban AI/AN women. Ralph Forquera, director of the Urban Indian Health Institute, said the findings show the importance of having culturally appropriate health information available. “Funding is needed for these programs to assure that they are most effective in addressing the issues outlined in this report,” he said.

To read the full article, click here.

Why Do We Need a Resolution for Adolescent Sexual and Reproductive Health?

Many Colorado teens are having sex:

• The 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance Survey found that more than one in four 9th graders in Colorado have had sex. By 12th grade nearly 60% reported having had sex.

This puts them at risk for:

• Unplanned Pregnancy 
  
  • Colorado recorded the 22nd-highest rate of teenage pregnancy nationwide in 2006 according to the Guttmacher Institute.
  • Approximately 6,754 females under the age of 20 gave birth in 2007 in Colorado according to the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE).
• Sexually Transmitted Infections, including HIV/AIDS
  
  • The 2009 Colorado Youth Risk Behavior Survey (YRBS) indicated that the use of birth control pills among adolescent girls increased by 6.8% since 2005, however, condom use has decreased by 6.1%. This means that the number of students at risk for STIs has increased.
  • The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention estimate that roughly one in four, or 26%, of young women in the U.S. between the ages of 14 and 19 currently has at least one STI.
  • In 2006, young people ages 13-19 accounted for more than one-third of all new HIV infections, more than any other age group nationally.
  • On average, nearly 18 cases of chlamydia or gonorrhea in adolescents are reported each day according to data from the CDPHE.

In addition:

• According to data from CDPHE youth of color and rural youth are at greatest risk of teen births or STDs than other youth populations in our state. This has less to do with rates of reported sexual activity and more to do with limited access to contraception, adequate family planning services, and health insurance.

We all pay the price:

• Parenting is the primary reason adolescent women drop out of school, according to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy.
• Figures published by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy found that in Colorado in 2004, estimated annual taxpayer costs associated with children born to teen mothers included $15 million for public health care and $45 million for child welfare.

There’s hope:

According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

• Science-based, medically accurate, age appropriate, culturally relevant, and comprehensive sexuality education programs have been proven to help youth:
  
  • delay the onset of sexual activity,
  • reduce the frequency of sexual activity,
  • reduce number of sexual partners, and
  • increase condom and contraceptive use
• These changes in behavior have been demonstrated to prevent unintended pregnancy and the spread of ST

This Denver Public Schools resolution is endorsed by the following organizations:

• 9to5, National Association of Working Women, Colorado Chapter
• ACLU of Colorado
• Boulder Valley Women's Health Center
• Colorado AIDS Project
• Colorado Anti-Violence Program
• Colorado Association of School-Based Health Centers (CASBHC)
• Colorado Coalition Against Sexual Assault (CCASA)
• Colorado Organization for Latina Opportunity and Reproductive Rights (COLOR)
• Colorado Progressive Coalition
• Colorado Progressive Action
• Colorado Religious Coalition for Reproductive Choice
• Colorado Section of the American Congress of Obstetricians and Gynecologists
• Colorado Statewide Parent Coalition Colorado Youth Matter (formerly COAPPP)
• The Denver Teen Pregnancy Prevention Partnership
• Girls Inc. of Metro Denver
• The Healthy Colorado Youth Alliance
• Interfaith Alliance
• Latina Initiative
• Look Both Ways, Inc.
• NARAL Pro-Choice Colorado Foundation
• New Era Colorado
• One Colorado
• Parent Pathways
• Planned Parenthood of the Rocky Mountains
• ProgressNow

On June 17th School Board Members at Denver Public Schools unanimously voted in support of the resolution on comprehensive sexuality education. Before casting their votes, many of the Board Members spoke in favor of the resolution and their eagerness to support it. President of the Board, Nate Easley, commented on the sexuality education that his children have received and said in regards to the resolution, "I wholeheartedly support this." Even Superintendent Tom Boasberg expressed his thanks to Vice President Arturo Jimenez for bringing the resolution to the Board and to the community and organizations coming together to support it.

Through our work with our partnering organizations, The Healthy Colorado Youth Alliance was able to generate over 5,000 emails of support to the DPS School Board. As a result of this resolution passing, the more than 78,000 students in DPS are one step closer to having guaranteed access to life-saving information about STI and pregnancy prevention.Thank you to all of you who took action to support this essential step!

Thank the Board by sending them an email today at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

View the final resolution here.