NORWALK PLUS: Hartford City Departments Collaborate to Curb Teen Pregnancy
For Immediate Release: Jan. 30, 2014
Building on Mayor Pedro E. Segarra’s collaborative style of government, the City’s Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) and Hartford Office for Youth Services (HOYS) are joining forces on an ambitious program to curb the problem of teen pregnancy. The five-year, $4.5 million grant is from the U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention.
“I want to congratulate Carlos Rivera and Raul Pino of HHS, Enid Rey of HOYS and all of their partners for tackling this important quality of life issue that affects Hartford youth. Education is the most powerful tool our young people can have,” said Mayor Segarra.
Despite progress over the years, statistics show that Hartford’s teen pregnancy rate is about three times the state average.
“The goal is to cover all city neighborhoods and focus on the adolescents who have the highest rates of teen pregnancy. We thank our partners Planned Parenthood of Southern New England and Hartford Action Plan for their ongoing collaboration with this initiative,” said Carlos Rivera.
“The health and well being of our youth is everyone’s business and we are proud to partner in this effort to build a healthy and educated Hartford,” said Enid Rey.
The programs are expected to be up and running by the winter.