Last summer, it was widely reported that STD cases hit a record high for the sixth year in a row. Roughly 68 million Americans have an STD. Included in those numbers are young people ages 15-24 years old, which account for 60% of the cases of chlamydia, gonorrhea, and syphilis (CDC, 2021). Of those numbers, […]
May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month. And while the efforts made by the nation, our state, and even within our own county have shown that the lessons have been effective, there is still a ton of work to be done. “The birth rate for youth ages 15 to 19 reached a historic low in […]
iMAD is the name of our sexual health education program that stands for “I Make a Difference”. We believe that each of our students has the power to make a huge difference in their own life, the lives of others, and our community at large. The iMAD Program is one of the many programs offered by […]
What is iMAD? What exactly are those people teaching our kids? Why do we need sexual health education in Highlands County? Why is it important that we start teaching the young people in our community about STIs, unintended pregnancy, and risky behaviors? I will address these questions and give statistics for Florida and Highlands County […]
A recent article published by NBC News discusses the recent CDC findings of teen sexual activity and contraception use. Teens 15-19 years old are waiting longer to have sex and they are not having sex with someone they just met. 74% of females and 51% of males reported their first sexual encounter was with a […]
