Central Shenandoah Health District

Partners in Prevention is dedicated to educating, mentoring, and counseling young adults and teens on the benefits of waiting until marriage to conceive a child to ensure healthy, happy families. The young adult population target age is 20-29 years and the teen target age is 10-19 years. 1998 non-marital birth statistics for Virginia show that 55.4% of all non-marital births were to the 20-29 year olds and 28.8% are to the 10-19 year olds. Similarly, there were 55.8% of non-marital births to 20-29 year olds in Virginia in 1999 and 28.5% to 10-19 year olds.

Partners in Prevention employs creative strategies using media campaigns, direct intervention, and public forums. It also works in cooperation with similar initiatives such as the Virginia Abstinence Education Initiative, the Virginia Fatherhood Campaign, and the Teen Pregnancy Prevention Initiative.

For fiscal years 2000-2002, 17 coalitions have been awarded funding to engage in Partners in Prevention activities within their communities. These 17 coalitions represent 48 Virginia counties and cities.

The goal of Partners in Prevention is to reduce the incidence of out-of-wedlock births within the State of Virginia, while reducing the incidence of induced terminations of pregnancies. There exists a federal bonus incentive under the Personal Responsibility and Work Opportunity and Reconciliation Act of 1996 (Public Law 104-193 H. R. 3734) for the top five states showing the largest decreases in non-marital births and induced terminations of pregnancies for fiscal years 1999 through 2002. Fiscal year 1995 will be used as the baseline data. The total amount of the bonus awarded will be $100 million dollars in each fiscal year.

Partners in Prevention is dedicated to helping Virginia achieve a bonus award, as awarded funds are to be used towards the formation or continuation of welfare reform programs. In 1997, Virginia finished 7th in the nation. We still have strides to make, but only through a collaborative state effort such as Partners in Prevention can Virginia achieve this ultimate goal.

Baby Think IT Over
BTIO has been a part of the volunteer prevention programs since 1997. These computerized dolls are designed to give the students the following Educational Objectives:

	Student will experience the physical consequences associated with unpredictable demands of an infant.
	Student will experience the social consequences associated with caring for an infant, including the time and attention an infant requires.
	Student will understand the financial consequences of experiencing a teen birth.
	Student will experience a supportive environment at home and school that will permit open communication about teenage parenting and its’ consequences.

Fatherhood Initiative
The Virginia Fatherhood Campaign strives to improve the social and health outcomes of children through father involvement.

Restoring fatherhood must become a high priority for all Virginians. Fathers provide a very important and irreplaceable role in the lives of children. Research suggest that men want to be good fathers and yearn for opportunities to develop the parenting skills that will help their children succeed in life.

Marriage Before the Carriage
This program started in Lynchburg Virginia in 1998 and is used with permission. Partners in Prevention along with many agencies, organization, clubs, businesses, faith communities and local citizens are joined together "Promoting Healthy Families Through Marriage". Our goal is to reduce fatherlessness, non-marital births and single teen pregnancies without increasing abortions. We are abstinence based and now have several programs sponsored by us and our partners that are fun and exciting and effective

Not Me, Not Now
Between 1980 and 1990, the adolescent pregnancy rate increased dramatically in Monroe County. By 1993, the county had the highest teen pregnancy rate in New York State. The high numbers of teen pregnancies affected not only the teens, their babies, and parents, but the entire community.

Teenage parents and their children suffer from increased pregnancy complications and low birth weights. Teen parents and their children often are unable to obtain the education they need to get ahead. They are more likely to abuse drugs and alcohol and turn to criminal activities. Many teen parents and their children rely on welfare and other forms of public assistance.

Clearly, the costs of teen pregnancy are too high. The Not Me, Not Now campaign represents a proactive approach to finding solutions.

Top Ten Reasons to be Married as Parents
David Letterman's famous Top Ten Reasons were the inspiration for this program. A media blitz covered over 250,000 people from 1 March- 30 March 2000. We wanted to know if there was interest in marriage in our area. The response was overwhelming. Over 3000 entries vied for the $5,500 in prizes. The 21 judges had a tough time with the final selections. RACK Cards, fact sheets, flyers, and billboards were created. We also distributed entry forms out in the community at local businesses.

The Partners In Prevention Web Site
You URL for the web site is: www.mb4c.org