Adolescent Reproductive Health Education Project

In 2003, Physicians for Reproductive Choice and Health (PRCH), in partnership with the Jane Fonda Center of Emory University and the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention, launched the Adolescent Reproductive Health Education Project (ARHEP) of Georgia. This project aimed to train health care providers to become better skilled at caring for the reproductive health needs of their adolescent patients. In the first two years, over 2,000 students, public health professionals, residents, physicians and advanced practice clinicians were trained.

Due to the overwhelming success of the pilot, PRCH recruited a committee to take the project national. Members included fifteen medical, advocacy, legal and direct service organizations including the Society for Adolescent Health. Together, we developed a thirteen module curriculum addressing key areas in adolescent reproductive health. ARHEP also includes a cadre of 37 faculty members who travel the country giving intensive trainings.

Now in its third year as a national program, ARHEP strives to promote adolescent reproductive health by changing training requirements at the systems level, developing training materials and providing technical assistance to training institutions and direct service organizations to ensure that staff are providing adolescent competent and comprehensive care.

This poster will discuss strategies to address training at the medical systems level including advocating through the Residency Review Committees and other governing bodies. We will also introduce the totally revised 3rd edition of the curriculum and present an evaluation of the project to date. Additionally, the poster will explain how the curriculum can be used train health care providers and other professionals serving teens.