Wednesday, March 12, 2025
3/12/2025
As¿is¿well documented, the teen birth rate in the United States has dropped¿a remarkable 72% since the¿1991¿high and now sits at 17.4 births per 1,000 females ages 15-19. Despite these gains, disparities persist with birth rates highest in states across the¿southern¿part of the country, and rates among¿Hispanic teens¿(26.7)¿and¿non-Hispanic black¿teens¿(26.3)¿more than twice as high as those of non-Hispanic white teens (12.1). Bexar County, Texas, with a population that is 61% Hispanic, has a teen birth rate of¿25.3;¿45% higher¿than the national rate. Some zip codes in Bexar County have birth rates 4-7 times the national rate. UT Teen Health proposes to replicate effective programs in specific school districts of Bexar County that demonstrate¿high¿need and are the most vulnerable, including those who have suffered historic disparities.¿ These programs will promote optimal health for youth in grades 6-12, using a sustainable model to train facilitators to reach 16,000 youth annually. UTTH will further saturate the community by leveraging contacts in the juvenile justice and other youth-serving systems. In addition, family/caregiver and teen communication will be strengthened through the Need to Know Community Program, linkages to community clinics will be enhanced through the Family/Clinic Interface and youth will be provided a voice as well as meaningful leadership opportunities through the Youth Leadership Team.
HHS’ Tracking Accountability in Government Grants System (TAGGS) website provides access to detailed descriptions of grants, loans, aggregated direct payments and other types of financial assistance awarded by the HHS Operating Divisions (OPDIVs) and the Office of the Secretary Staff Divisions (STAFFDIVs).