Living here in rural America I was a bit surprised to learn that currently, about 18,000 U.S. schools have health centers inside their walls. These health centers provide confidential physical and mental health services to students who want them in junior high and high schools. Most of these clinics are operated by either a local hospital, health department, or other community health center. A study was recently conducted on the centers that currently... more

Sexually transmitted diseases are in the news again shocking people with their skyrocketing numbers. A new government study suggests that over three million teenaged girls have at least one sexually transmitted disease (STD.) They say that boils down to one out of every four teenage girls having an STD. There is worse news yet if you look inside of those averages. Nearly half of all African American teenage girls have an STD compared to about 20 percent of Caucasian teenage girls. Then when we look at statistics for the sexual... more

Parents, you should be concerned about the health of your teenagers. The number of Americans with sexually transmitted diseases (STD), particularly those between the ages of 15 and 24, continues to rise. The U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) estimates the number of newly diagnosed STDs each year in the United States to be 19 million. In 2006, there was over a million new cases chlamydia making it the most common reportable STD in the United State. Gonorrhea and syphilis also... more

Are you thinking about parenting an older child or a teenager from the foster care system? Then be prepared to talk openly about sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Teenagers in foster care are more likely than their peers to be sexually active are and less likely to use protection.

Syphilis is caused by the bacterium Treponema pallidum and is a sexually transmitted disease (STD). Often called “the great imitator,” syphilis is sometimes indistinguishable from other diseases, because of the many common signs and symptoms.

There were over 32,000 cases of syphilis... more

One of the many challenges of adopting an older child, especially a teenager, is to talk openly about sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Teenagers that have been in foster care are more likely to be sexually active than their peers are and less likely to use protection.

Gonorrhea is a sexually transmitted disease (STD) caused by a bacteria called Neisseria gonorrhoeae. The warm, moist areas of the reproductive tract, including the cervix, uterus, and fallopian tubes in women, provide ideal environments for the bacteria to... more

If you are adopting a teenager or you already have, you need to be prepared to speak openly about sex and sexually transmitted diseases. You need to know about the potential risk of disease, so you can share this information with your teenager. That is because teenagers in foster care are more likely to be sexually active than their peers are and less likely to use protection. While they may want to please you, chances are they will not stop this risky behavior just because you adopted them.

Approximately 6.2... more

Considering adopting an older child or a teenager from the foster care system? Then you need to be prepared to talk to your teenager about sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Teenagers in foster care are more likely to be sexually active than their peers are and less likely to use protection.

A common STD, which is caused by bacteria, is Chlamydia. Any person, male or female, can contract Chlamydia by having sexual contact with an infected person. There may be no symptoms to indicate an infection. Symptoms that may occur are a burning feeling during urination or... more

If you are considering adopting an older child, especially a teenager, be prepared to talk openly about sex and sexually transmitted diseases (STDs). Teenagers in foster care are more likely to be sexually active than their peers are and less likely to use protection. One out of every four female Americans over the age of 12 is infected with the Herpes Virus. At least 45 million Americans, or one out of every five people over 12 years, have this sexually transmitted disease.... more