336427
Utilizing existing school health resources to expand access to reproductive health services
Tuesday, November 3, 2015
Pam Haller, MDiv, MPH,
Office of School Health, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY
Rebecca Fisher, MPH, MA,
Office of School Health, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY
Miranda Dettman, MPH,
Office of School Health, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City
Maria Applewhite, RN, MPH,
CATCH Program, Adolescent Health, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City, NY
Lorraine Tiezzi, MS,
Office of School Health, New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene, Long Island City
The New York City Department of Health and Mental Hygiene (NYC DOHMH) Office of School Health (OSH) has developed an alternative model of delivering reproductive health services to students in NYC public high schools that utilizes existing school health resources. The Connecting Adolescents To Comprehensive Healthcare (CATCH) Program launched as a pilot in January 2011 in five sites and is currently operational in 22 sites expanding to 31 sites. The CATCH Program trains registered nurses (RN) and medical doctors (MD) to provide limited but critical reproductive health services to students in school medical rooms. The training presents an intensive overview of adolescent development in addition to best practices in reproductive health care with a focus on emergency contraception and birth control. In addition, on-site training reviews patient flow and protocol knowledge to maximize efficiencies and relationship-building with students. The school RN provides pregnancy testing, referrals to comprehensive health care, and emergency contraception (EC) with a verbal order from a MD. School MDs make visits to CATCH sites to dispense oral contraception pill (OCP) and Depo-Provera® (Depo). From July 2013-June 2014, CATCH services were utilized by 70% of the estimated currently sexually active (SA) female students in the schools that CATCH serves; among these students, all received a pregnancy test, 56% received EC and 53% received a regular hormonal birth control method. This alternative model of delivering reproductive health services to students in NYC public high schools can be a cost-effective way to expand access to reproductive health services in schools.
Learning Areas:
Implementation of health education strategies, interventions and programs
Planning of health education strategies, interventions, and programs
Public health or related nursing
Learning Objectives:
Describe the CATCH model which utilizes existing school health resources to expand access to reproductive health services.
Keyword(s): Reproductive Health, School-Based Health
Presenting author's disclosure statement:Qualified on the content I am responsible for because: I have been working in public health for 20 years. I worked in the School-Based Health Center program at Columbia / New York Presbyterian for 15 years in a variety of health education and health care administrative positions in New York City public schools. Since 2013, I have been at the Office of School Health/Department of Health and Mental Hygiene as Project Director of the Connecting Adolescents to Comprehensive Healthcare (CATCH) project.
Any relevant financial relationships? No
I agree to comply with the American Public Health Association Conflict of Interest and Commercial Support Guidelines,
and to disclose to the participants any off-label or experimental uses of a commercial product or service discussed
in my presentation.
