FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
April 23, 2009
DHEC’s Region 7 Public Health Services observes National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy
COLUMBIA - The S.C. Department of Health and Environmental Control’s Region 7 Public Health Services is hosting a mother and daughter workshop on Johns Island on May 5 in observance of the National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, the agency announced today.
“In 2006, 557 babies were born to teen mothers in Charleston County,” said Stephanie Friesner, Family Planning program manager for DHEC Region 7, which serves Berkeley, Charleston and Dorchester counties. “Teen pregnancies statistics are a major cause for concern. About 50 percent of teen mothers never finish high school, about two-thirds of families begun by unmarried teen mothers are poor, and almost half of all teens have not thought about how being pregnant and having a baby would affect their lives.”
According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, teens say their parents have the most influence on their decisions about dating and relationships.
“That is the key reason we chose the mother and daughter format,” Friesner said. “We want to help parents communicate better with their children about relationships.”
For more information, call Christine Guerra at (843) 953-4332, or email her at: guerracm@dhec.sc.gov.
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For more information:
Stephanie Friesner - (843) 953 0029
E-mail - friesnsi@dhec.sc.gov
or
Linda Pranger - (843) 953 0046
E-mail - prangell@dhec.sc.gov
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