Kaiser Permanente grants $50,000 to TCHC's "My Choice My Future" program.

Feb. 4, 2011 - PRLog -- The "My Choice, My Future" program was established by TCHC at Newark Memorial High School  (NMHS) in the school year 2009-2010 to decrease teen birth rates, reduce at-risk behavior, improve refusal skills and self-esteem for teen girls, as well as to improve parent-teen communication regarding sexual behavior and health education.

TCHC will continue to build on the program's first year success, working with a cohort of 30 students already enrolled in the one-on-one program. As part of the second year expansion, TCHC will target 600 more students to receive health education, promote healthier lifestyle choices and decrease teen pregnancy rates. Additionally, the grant funds will be used to expand the general health education classes to new students, as well as continue to provide services as the NMHS Teen Center and TCHC's Teen Clinic.

A parent-teen communication component will be added as a program enhancement to improve family relations and communications while reinforcing the goals critical to the program's success. The TCHC team will offer parenting classes to complement the teen center program’s capabilities of providing health education and parenting skills to parents of the students of NMHS.

"Kaiser Permanente's generous funding has helped TCHC establish and expand our health education and leadership projects for teens at NMHS, to foster personal and academic success. Our program's workshops and teen pregnancy prevention events have helped to improve the refusal skills and self-esteem for teen girls as well as to reduce and track teen pregnancy. Continued support from Kaiser Permanente allows us to build on the success of our program at NMHS" said Kathy Lievre, TCHC's CEO.

TCHC is committed to promoting optimal health, eliminating preventable diseases, and improving the quality of life for every individual, teen and family in our community. The continued success of the "My Choice, My Future" program underlines TCHC's mission of delivering excellent health services in a caring, nurturing, and respectful atmosphere.

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TCHC is a nonprofit, federally qualified health center that serves low-income, uninsured and homeless residents in Alameda County, California and offers high-quality primary medical, dental and behavioral health care services for the entire family.