Strategies to prevent teen pregnancy among high school students in Central Harlem, NYC: A population at risk

Teen pregnancy rate in New York City (NYC) has remained consistently higher each year compared to New York State. In 2007, NYC pregnancy rate for the 15-17 age groups was 52.3 compared to 35.1 in NYS with rates much higher among Blacks and Hispanics than Whites. For the Renaissance School Based Health Clinic (SBHC), providing the highest level of comprehensive reproductive health services to disadvantaged students is a major priority and one of the ways to break the cycle of poverty to which they are born. At two of its schools, FDA and IS286, students receive comprehensive reproductive health services. Both schools are located in Central Harlem, one of the poorest neighborhoods in NYC stricken with the worst socio-economic challenges and limited access to primary and preventative healthcare. The student population is mostly Blacks, Hispanics and foreign born immigrants predominantly from West Africa. Last year Renaissance SBHC saw over 1,800 students at the FDA and IS286 schools combined; 30 admitted to being sexually active. Most of the sexually active teens say condom is their choice of birth control. To date, there has been one pregnancy at FDA and three at IS286.To optimize and enhance the quality of reproductive health care services provided, a specially designed Decision Tree Tool was developed and implemented. The tool has proven very effective for providers in guiding the counseling and reproductive care of students.