Parts of Riverside County rank highest in STDs, teen births

There is a large, unmet need in Riverside County for contraceptives and sexually transmitted infection (STI) prevention and education among teenagers and young men and women under the age of 30, according to a recent study released by Planned Parenthood of San Diego and Riverside Counties.

Prepared for Planned Parenthood by the Riverside County Department of Public Health, the hot spots study focused on unhealthy outcomes by analyzing teen births and STI rates throughout the county. The biggest needs are in young people 15- to 18-years-old and men and women between the ages of 19 and 29.

The highest incident rates in Southwest Riverside County lie east and west of the Interstate 215 corridor in Moreno Valley and Perris, and northeast of Temecula Valley in Winchester, according to data from the report.

Planned Parenthood has five centers in Riverside County, and is exploring ways to serve more men and women in the area, according to Jennifer Coburn, interim publications coordinator. The organization plans to more than double the size of the Moreno Valley facility, expanding it from three exam rooms to eight within the next year.

“There is a tremendous unmet need in Southwest Riverside County,” said Coburn. “In order for us to meet the needs of the region, it is critical that the state budget maintain funding for family planning.”

According to Coburn, every dollar invested in prevention saves the state $5.33  in social services and health care costs in the first five years.

“We applaud the legislators who fought to maintain funding for contraception, and testing and treatment for sexually transmitted infections because family planning barely survived cuts,” said Coburn.

Planned Parenthood receives funds from the state each year, which they use toward contraceptives, disease testing and treatment and family planning.

“It is important for people to know that no funds from the state go toward abortions,” said Coburn, who added that the key to healthy outcomes in teens lies in prevention.

“The No. 1 thing is a healthy dialogue, using contraceptives and maybe visiting a Planned Parenthood center with a parent,” said Coburn.

Even though California state law does not require Planned Parenthood to inform parents when a teen visits a center, the organization offers ways to foster communication with parents.

“We want them to talk to their parents. We don’t want to leave anybody out,” said Coburn.

Parents who are getting ready to take the next step in communication with their children can request a Planned Parenthood house party through the organization’s education department.

“They provide the guests, we provide the services,” said Coburn.

Teens and adults can also get vaccinated for genital human papillomavirus (HPV) by visiting a center. According to the Center for Disease Control, HPV is the most common STI, and can cause genital warts and cervical cancer.

“The HPV virus can affect someone for the rest of their life,” said Coburn.

Funds to provide the HPV vaccinations are provided by a private donor, and can be purchased by income-qualifying individuals for as low as $25 per shot, with three shots in a series, said Coburn.

Planned Parenthood offers its services on a sliding scale-from low cost to no cost-with those earning less than 200 percent of the federal poverty level being eligible for free services.

“We want to increase access to all our services,” said Coburn. “There is a problem, and we are not just studying the problem, we are working to prevent it.”

To learn more about Planned Parenthood or to find a nearby center, visit www.planned.org. House parties can be scheduled by clicking on the Education and Training Center link.

Maggie Avants is the education editor for SWRNN. Comments or story suggestions can be sent to mavants.swrnn@gmail.com.

Tags: moreno valley, Murrieta, perris, Planned Parenthood, riverside county department of public health, SWRNN, Temecula, winchester

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 18th, 2009 at 9:38 am and is filed under Health, Local News, News . You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can skip to the end and leave a response. Pinging is currently not allowed.