Teresa Mercado: Community must reduce STD rates, no longer ignore them

<p>I wanted to take this time to thank Superintendent Owen Roberts for caring so much about the health and safety of all our youth in Alachua County. His decision on the distribution of condoms in schools came with a lot of thought and consideration. </p><p>As a community, whether we agree or disagree, we must remember that we live in a community of caring individuals that seek to protect the lives of our youth. The teens that were trained by my agency, Pause 4 Teens Advocacy Network, became involved in the process and were heard. It is time that we respect the opinions and input of our local teen leadership.</p><p>I ask that all negative comments cease against Roberts. He is a man of integrity, sincerity and compassion for youth. Roberts was always concerned that parents have a right to choose, and now they can with the “opt out” policy. There is now also a respect for the right of teens to choose as well with the decision to have condoms made available on high school campuses only. As anyone reading didn’t call their parents to get permission to have sex, our local teens will not call to get permission. The data reflects a huge problem in this county among all ages, races and genders.</p><p>The Pause teen advocates are not only addressing the condom availability to help reduce pregnancy rates, STD rates and sexual health education, but also are concerned about sexual harassment and mental health issues on school campuses that are going unreported. These issues must be addressed and they will.</p><p>According to the National Association of Social Workers, teens are most likely to seek sexual health information from their friends. Therefore, there is a need for trained high school-aged youth to be represented at a community and policy level in an effort to address a variety of disparities affecting youth while also providing accurate health and risk-reduction information to their peers.</p><p>When compared to the adult population, young people living with HIV are more likely to be lost before follow-up health care and experience treatment declines. The findings from a 2014 study showed that nearly 60 percent of HIV-infected youth in the U.S. are unaware of their HIV status as opposed to 20 percent of the adult population. Over one in every four of the new HIV infections occur among 15- to 24-year-olds while they only account for the 17 percent of the U.S. population.</p><p>According to the pregnancy rates in Florida in 2011, 17,325 youth experienced pregnancy. Florida’s teen abortion rate ranks second in the U.S., with a rate of 24 abortions per 1,000 young women ages 15-19, compared to the national rate of 19 abortions per 1,000.</p><p>Teens and young adults continue to account for the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections when compared to other age groups. As of 2013, out of 67 counties, Alachua County has the second highest total gonorrhea, chlamydia and syphilis rate of 1,009.7 per 100,000 people, which is almost double Florida’s overall rate of 536.1. </p><p>The trajectory of STI incidence rates are increasing among our young population. According to Florida Department of Health’s 2012 Alachua County STI incidence rates, those in the age range of 15 to 19 account for the second highest percentage of STI rates in the county.</p><p>Based on 2013 Florida Department of Health sexually transmitted disease incidence data, Alachua County rates among 13- to 24-year-olds rank highest in the state out of 67 counties. According to the 2009 Youth Risk Behavior Survey, 50.6 percent of Florida’s high school students have had sex by the time they graduate, a number higher than the national average of 46 percent. Of those students, 35 percent did not use a condom at last intercourse and 84 percent did not use birth control pills. Alachua County has a forcible sex-offense rate of 75.5 compared to the Florida’s overall rate of 52.2.</p><p>This data must be addressed. The community, parents, local city and county leaders, the local health department, faith leaders and the police department must take action to educate, prevent, inform, support, test and treat while facilitating solutions to reduce incidence rates and no longer ignore them.</p><p>Just talking about it and complaining provides no solutions. Pointing fingers and finding fault provides no reduction in incidence. Our teens are taking action and will be heard.</p><p>Thank you to Superintendent Roberts for your excellent leadership and commitment to hear all sides of every issue that you may encounter. You are in our prayers, as is this community.</p><p><i>Teresa Mercado is the founder of the Pause 4 Teens Advocacy Network.</i></p>

Teresa Mercado: Community must reduce STD rates, no longer ignore them