Attention Pregnant Women - ZIKA Update

Mosquitoes are the deadliest animals in the world because of the diseases they spread. Zika virus disease (Zika) spreads to people mainly through the bite of two types of mosquitoes. The newest edition of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) Vital Signs focuses on the threat of Zika to pregnant women and their fetuses and the steps that can be taken by them, their partners and communities to thwart this public health risk. In past outbreaks, most people with Zika have not gotten sick, so people may not even know they've been infected.

Based on current knowledge, the greatest risk for complications from Zika is to a pregnant woman's fetus. According to the Vital Signs report, pregnant women can take the following actions: 

• Avoid travel to any area with Zika. 

• Take preventive steps such as wearing insect repellent.

• Talk to her doctor first if she must travel to an area with Zika, and get tested for Zika between 2 and 12 weeks after returning. 

• Use latex condoms, the right way, every time or choose not to have any type of sex with a partner who has been in an area with Zika.

For more information on Zika and pregnancy, visit the CDC website.

For more information on animal-borne diseases, please contact our Zoonosis Program at
303-232-6301 or dvolkel@jeffco.us.

Alcohol and Pregnancy . . . Why Take the Risk?

A new Vital Signs report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Alcohol and Pregnancy highlights the fact that:

• More than 3 million US women are at risk of exposing their developing baby to alcohol. 
• 3 in 4 women who want to get pregnant as soon as possible report drinking alcohol. 
• 100% Fetal alcohol spectrum disorders are completely preventable. 

Why take the risk?

• Women who are pregnant or who might be pregnant should be aware that any level of alcohol use could harm their baby.

• All types of alcohol can be harmful, including all wine and beer.

• The baby’s brain, body, and organs are developing throughout pregnancy and can be affected by alcohol at any time.

• Drinking while pregnant can also increase the risk of miscarriage, stillbirth, prematurity, and sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS).

Read the report, view an infographic with data and learn about prevention.

May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

Nearly half of all pregnancies in Colorado are unintended, meaning they occur sooner than desired or occur when no pregnancy is desired at any time.  For teens the percentage is even higher, with the vast majority being unintended. Research shows that science-based, comprehensive sexuality education, contraceptive access and youth development programs can help young people make choices that can protect them from unintended pregnancy.

Jefferson County Public Health’s Family Planning Program offers reproductive health services including various forms of birth control at its new Lakewood location at 645 Parfet Street. Please call 303-232-6301 to make an appointment. Walk-in hours are also available.  Services are provided on a sliding-fee scale.  No one is denied services due to the inability to pay. Youth and young adults in Jefferson County can also use Go Ask TISH to get answers about their sexual health. It's confidential, just text your questions to 720-446-TISH (8474) and get answers from a public health nurse. We also have created videos to help educate teens and young adults on reproductive health, watch the JCPH “Sex Ed with Mel” video series.

Consequences of Unintended Pregnancy can include: 

• birth defects
• low birth weight
• elective abortion
• maternal depression
•  increased risk of child abuse
•  lower educational attainment
• delayed entry into prenatal care
• high risk of physical violence during pregnancy
•  reduced rates of breastfeeding

 Additionally, teen mothers are less likely than their peers to earn a high school diploma or GED.

We all have a role in helping our youth become successful adults. Parents, teachers, friends, employers and others are invited to take time this May to help prevent teen pregnancy.  Engage the youth in your life in conversation, get teens thinking about how a pregnancy might affect their life and help them come up with a plan for avoiding pregnancy.  

For more information on Teen Pregnancy:

•   JCPH Family Planning (reproductive health and birth control) services.
• Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s web page on Teen Pregnancy.
•  Download the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Action Guide to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
• Visit Stay Teen, Stay Informed website.

Have questions about sexual health? Go Ask TISH!

Jefferson County Public Health’s Family Planning program reminds adults and youth that preventing unplanned pregnancies is one of the most important things you can do for your reproductive health. In addition, February happens to be National Condom Month and a perfect time to remind everyone that safe sex means more than using birth control, it also means using a condom. Of all the birth control available, the condom is the most frequently used method that not only has a high contraceptive rate (98% effectiveness rate for male condoms and 95% for female condoms, when both used correctly and consistently) but even protects against the spread of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) like chlamydia, gonorrhea, and HIV. 

While various forms of birth control may prevent pregnancies, they do not prevent the spread of HIV and other STIs. If you are sexually active and have not been using a condom, you are at risk. Get tested at our clinic location in Lakewood. Call 303-239-7078 to schedule an appointment. If you have any questions and need answers, text 720 446-TISH (8474), the Text Information Sexual Health line is confidential and answered regularly by one of our public health nurses.

May is National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

Nearly half of all pregnancies in Colorado are unintended, meaning they occur sooner than desired or occur when no pregnancy is desired at any time. For teens the percentage is even higher, with the vast majority being unintended. Research shows that science-based, comprehensive sexuality education, contraceptive access and youth development programs can help young people make choices that can protect them from unintended pregnancy. Jefferson County Public Health’s Family Planning Program offers reproductive health services including birth control at its new Lakewood location at 645 Parfet Street. Please call 303-232-6301 to make an appointment. Walk-in hours are also available. Services are provided on a sliding fee scale. No one is denied services due to the inability to pay. Youth and young adults in Jefferson County can also use Go Ask TISH to get answers about their sexual health. It's confidential, just text your questions to 720-446-TISH (8474) and get answers from a public health nurse. We also have created videos to help educate teens and young adults on reproductive health, watch the JCPH “Sex Ed with Mel” video series.

Consequences of Unintended Pregnancy:

• birth defects
• low birth weight
• elective abortion
• maternal depression
• increased risk of child abuse
• lower educational attainment
• delayed entry into prenatal care
• high risk of physical violence during pregnancy
• reduced rates of breastfeeding

Additionally, teen mothers are less likely than their peers to earn a high school diploma or GED.

We all have a role in helping our youth become successful adults. Parents, teachers, friends, employers and others are invited to take time this May to help prevent teen pregnancy. Engage the youth in your life in conversation, get teens thinking about how a pregnancy might affect their life and help them come up with a plan for avoiding pregnancy.

For more information on Teen Pregnancy:

• JCPH Family Planning (reproductive health and birth control) services.
• Visit the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention’s web page on Breaking the Cycle of Teen Pregnancy.
• Download the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment’s Action Guide to Prevent Teen Pregnancy.
• Visit Stay Teen, Stay Informed website.

Prenatal Plus . . . Choose to have a healthy pregnancy

Pregnancy is a time of change, growth, discovery and plenty of questions. Prenatal Plus can help you, your baby and your family in a variety of areas, including nutrition, cutting back or quitting smoking and preparing for labor and delivery.

Prenatal Plus can also help you find and access community resources. Whether you're expecting your first child or your fifth, the Prenatal Plus Program can provide you with valuable information and support.

The Prenatal Plus team consists of a Public Health Nurse Care Coordinator, a Registered Dietician and a Mental Health Professional. Women are seen in the office and at home for visits throughout the pregnancy and for up to two months after the baby is born.

Prenatal Plus team members empower women to make lifestyle choices that positively affect their pregnancies and result in healthier babies.
Confidential Services

• Prenatal Plus staff can talk privately with you about: 
• Medicaid 
• Tobacco use 
• Healthy eating 
• Doctor's visits 
• Birth control methods 
• A safe place to stay 
• How to care for baby 
• Personal problems and other things important to you, your family and your baby. 

For more information, please contact the Prenatal Plus program at 303-232-6301 or visit our website.

Need answers to your questions about sexual health? We are here for you.

Jefferson County Public Health’s Family Planning program reminds adults and youth that preventing unplanned pregnancies is one of the most important things you can do for your reproductive health. In addition, February happens to be National Condom Month and a perfect time to remind everyone that safe sex means more than using birth control, it also means using a condom. 

While various forms of birth control may prevent pregnancies, they do not prevent the spread of HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs). If you are sexually active and have not been using a condom, you are at risk. Get tested at one of our clinic locations in Lakewood or Arvada. Call 303-232-6301 for an appointment. If you have any questions and need answers, text 720 446-TISH (8474), the Teen Information Sexual Health line is confidential and answered regularly by one of our public health nurses.

First time Moms . . . Here’s a program just for you!

Connect with Nurse Family Partnership

Nurse-Family Partnership® (NFP) is an evidence-based, community health program that helps transform the lives of vulnerable mothers pregnant with their first child. Each mother served by the program is partnered with a registered nurse early in her pregnancy and receives ongoing nurse home visits that continue through her child’s second birthday. Independent research proves that communities benefit from this relationship — every dollar invested in Nurse-Family Partnership can yield up to five dollars in return. Nurse-Family Partnership is based on more than 35 years of research from randomized, controlled trials that prove it works. Nurse-Family Partnership produces multi-generational outcomes that benefit communities and eliminate the costs of long-term social service programs. For example, the following outcomes have been observed among participants in at least one of the trials of the program:

• 48% reduction in child abuse and neglect 

• 56% reduction in emergency room visits for accidents and poisonings 

• 59% reduction in arrests at child age 15 

• 67% reduction in behavioral and intellectual problems at child age six 

• 72% fewer convictions of mothers at child age 15

In addition, Nurse-Family Partnership services have shown decreases in the number of families enrolled in Medicaid and food stamps programs, as well as improvements in pregnancy outcomes, health status, school achievement, parental employment and family stability. Help a first time mom you may know connect with NFP and change lives for the better.

For more information:

• Contact NFP: Mary Beth Mary Beth Wenger, Program Supervisor at 303-239-7074 or email: mwenger@jeffco.us
• Learn more about the Jefferson County Public Health Nurse Family Partnership program.

Preventing Teen Pregnancy

We can all celebrate recent data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) showing that teen birth rates in the U.S. are down and have been declining for the past 20 years. Good news indeed, but hold the applause, the CDC also points out that the teen birth rate in the U.S. remains nine times higher than in other developed countries. Furthermore, while the number of pregnancies may have declined, the number of teens who are having a second child, or third, before they are 20-years-old is on the rise. This is called a repeat birth. The data show that one out of five teen moms have repeat births. According to the CDC, every day in the U.S., 183 "repeat" teen births occur with the majority of these (86 percent) being second births and 13 percent being a third child. Teen pregnancy and repeat births among adolescents are an important public health issue because they are closely linked to a number of negative social and health outcomes including, poverty and income, child well-being, responsible parenthood, health issues, education, child welfare, and others. Preventing unplanned pregnancies is considered a Colorado and Jefferson County winnable battle. 

Jefferson County Public Health’s Family Planning Program has been reaching out to teens and their parents with reproductive health education and services since the 1970’s. Different birth control methods, the importance of spacing pregnancies, how to prevent sexually transmitted diseases and abstinence education are all topics that one of the JCPH family planning nurses can help with. Parents and teens are encouraged to call our clinic at 303-232-6301 with any questions about our family planning services or to make an appointment. As the month of May is Teen Pregnancy Awareness Month, JCPH would like to remind all of its residents that the best way to prevent teen pregnancy is through education. For more information, please visit our website or call 303-232-6301. Also, check out our “Teen Health Matters” educational display in several county libraries and the Courts and Administration Building.

Need Birth Control or Other Reproductive Health & Family Planning Service

Did you know that Jefferson County Public Health (JCPH) offers confidential family planning and reproductive health services with little wait time at two convenient locations?

 

§  Lakewood Clinic, 260 South Kipling Street - 303-239-7078

§  Arvada Clinic, 6303 Wadsworth Bypass - 303-275-7500

In the United States, almost half of all pregnancies are unintended.  Yet, many safe and highly effective methods of birth control are available to prevent unintended pregnancy.  Women with unintended pregnancies are less likely to obtain early prenatal care and their babies are at increased risks of both low birth weight and preterm birth, which can cause health and development issues all through their lives. An unintended pregnancy can also limit the education and employment opportunities of both parents often leading to significant financial challenges. 

That is why JCPH is dedicated to offering the following services:

• Pregnancy testing and all options counseling
• Treatment of minor gynecological problems
• Abstinence counseling
• Emergency Contraceptive Pill
• STD Clinic                            
• HIV Confidential Counseling & Testing 
• Teen Health Program

All services are confidential and parental consent is not necessary for minors.   In most cases, a birth control method can be started on your first appointment.  More information can be found at www.jeffco.us/health

Safe Sex

Access to sexual and reproductive health services is essential for healthy populations. JCPH supports all women’s and men’s rights to such access. The Family Planning Program provides comprehensive contraceptive services to Jefferson County residents. Services include education, counseling, medical examination, treatment and birth control methods for men and women.

Reproductive health and birth control (family planning) services are available at our Arvada and Lakewood locations. Services are provided on a sliding fee scale and to people with Medicaid. No one is denied services due to the inability to pay. 

 In addition to providing birth control pills and condoms to prevent unintended pregnancies, the department offers alternatives through long acting birth control methods. Remember, some activities are definitely high risk for HIV, STD and Hepatitis infection. Protect yourself and your partner . . . wear a condom and get tested!

For appointments in Lakewood: 303-239-7078 or in Arvada: 303-275-7500.