Forum looks at ways to prevent STDs

A recent article in the News-Gazette discusses efforts to improve education about STDs in area schools:

"DANVILLE- Registered Nurse Mary O'Brien sees teenagers come to Provena United Samaritans Medical Center's emergency room seeking treatment for sexually transmitted diseases.

O'Brien may get only a few minutes at most to discuss prevention with those teens. She knows that's not enough, and that's why O'Brien likes the idea of a new pilot program at Catlin High School that will provide prevention education to students through the Vermilion County Health Department.

"What can we do? It's education," O'Brien told about 25 Vermilion County health officials, educators and community leaders who gathered Thursday night at Danville Area Community College for a forum to find ways to prevent sexually transmitted diseases.

Linda Bolton, community relations/health education program coordinator at the Vermilion County Health Department, said the pilot program is something the department is most excited about, because it has never been done before.

She said it is a good curriculum that will focus on teaching teenagers the decision-making skills necessary to avoid behaviors that put them at risk of sexually transmitted diseases.

"We are terribly excited about it," said Bolton, who thanked the Catlin school district for the cooperation and trust to implement the program in which a health department educator will come into the school once a week to teach the curriculum.

Kevin Thomas, principal of Catlin High School, said the high school is starting a new curriculum that focuses on life skills and social and emotional decision making, and this health department pilot program will fit in well.

The pilot program is one of several initiatives the health department is pursuing to reduce the county's high rate of sexually transmitted diseases, especially chlamydia and gonorrhea, and the department is using a $10,000 grant from the Illinois Department of Public Health to fund the initiatives."

Read the rest of the article here.