Why the federal Teen Pregnancy Prevention Program’s fate is uncertain (PBS)

Thursday Mar 22nd, 2018

Twice a week, a few dozen high school students shuffle into Ashley Cunningham’s sexual health education class. And while they’re seated in front of her, Cunningham, a community health educator with the Baltimore City Health Department, wants this space to feel like home.

In July, the Department of Health and Human Services mailed notices to 81 schools, public health departments and community centers that received funding through the program with an update: The grants were being cancelled, and the program, which has had an annual cost of $101 million in recent years, would be shuttered in a matter of months.

“It made no sense,” said Dr. Leana Wen, commissioner for Baltimore City Health Department. “Congress appropriated the funding that was available.”

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When I’ve asked experts about these approaches, it’s not that any of them are bad. It’s that they fall short. For instance, Leana Wen, the former health commissioner of Baltimore (and soon-to-be president of Planned Parenthood), said that the Support for Patients and Communities Act “is simply tinkering around the edges.”

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