By IMANI HALL

Vital Stats: 4K- Number of pregnancies among teen girls ages 15 to 19 in the Bronx.
(Source: New York City Department of Health)

Montefiore’s School Health Program (MSHP) has been awarded $3 million in funding by the Jerome L. Greene Foundation to combat teenage pregnancy in the Bronx. MSHP provides services to 40,000 Bronx students at 73 high schools in 22 school locations.

“We are pleased to join our longtime partner, Montefiore Health System, in an intensive effort to address unintended pregnancy in the Bronx,” said Christina McInerney, the foundation’s president, adding, “This new grant strengthens both our and Montefiore’s mission to build a better future for today’s youth.”

The newly funded program will go towards the hiring of a research team comprised of a research coordinator, research assistant, an epidemiologist, director of research, a project coordinator, a youth support worker and community health organizer “to identify those kids who are at risk of unintended pregnancy” in 12 of the 22 MSHPs, according to Dr. David Appel, director of the Montefiore School Health Program.

Participating schools will also experience a major advertising blitz of the program, with flyers distributed at school to get the word out on the program. The Bronx has the highest teen pregnancy rates in the city, with over 4,000 babies born to mothers between the ages of 15 and 19 yearly, according to city health statistics.

“Our objective is to reduce unintended teen pregnancy by 50 percent over a three-year period,” said Appel. “It’s being staggered for schools through year one, year two and year three so we can see the impact, compared to what’s happening without the funding from the Greene grant.”

The teen pregnancy program is one aspect to MSHP. Each site has a full-time recreationalist, nurse, medical provider, mental health provider, a part-time dentist and a community organizer available during the school year.

“There is recognition that children in many neighborhoods like the Bronx throughout New York City, mainly rural and urban, find out there is a need for more than a school nurse in the school,” said Appel. “The school nurses connect kids to their private care providers, but kids that don’t have them, there’s nothing to connect to, so it’s bringing direct services to the schools.”

With schools closing for the summer season, only eight of the 22 clinics will be open from 8 a.m. to 3 p.m. Students whose school clinics don’t stay open during the summer receive a flyer with contact information for the clinics that are open. For those in need of mental care, an on-call mental care provider is available.

Additional reporting by David Cruz.

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Welcome to the Norwood News, a bi-weekly community newspaper that primarily serves the northwest Bronx communities of Norwood, Bedford Park, Fordham and University Heights. Through our Breaking Bronx blog, we focus on news and information for those neighborhoods, but aim to cover as much Bronx-related news as possible. Founded in 1988 by Mosholu Preservation Corporation, a not-for-profit affiliate of Montefiore Medical Center, the Norwood News began as a monthly and grew to a bi-weekly in 1994. In September 2003 the paper expanded to cover University Heights and now covers all the neighborhoods of Community District 7. The Norwood News exists to foster communication among citizens and organizations and to be a tool for neighborhood development efforts. The Norwood News runs the Bronx Youth Journalism Heard, a journalism training program for Bronx high school students. As you navigate this website, please let us know if you discover any glitches or if you have any suggestions. We’d love to hear from you. You can send e-mails to norwoodnews@norwoodnews.org or call us anytime (718) 324-4998.