Implementing Teen Pregnancy Prevention in African American Churches: A Review of Partnerships and Pilot Test

African American churches have long been recognized as vital sources of information, including health promotion and disease prevention, within the African American community. Nevada is number 2 in the country in terms of teen pregnancy rates. Despite rising rates of HIV/STIs and teen pregnancy within this community, these churches have been slow in embracing the provision of information regarding sexual health and the prevention of HIV/STIs and teen pregnancy. To combat these high rates, the University of Nevada Las Vegas partnered with a community-based organization, consulting firm, and African American church to implement Becoming a Responsible Teen (BART), an evidence-based intervention, with funding from the Office of Adolescent Health. In this first year of funding for the project, partners have worked together to complete a needs and resource assessment as well as pilot test of the intervention within an African American church. This presentation will not only highlight the barriers and challenges that have been face by this unique partnership and project, but will also discuss facilitators and strategies that have been employed to ensure success of the overall program and all involved. In addition, lessons that have been learned from this first year that will serve as a foundation for future years and recommendations for other efforts will be shared.