Primary tabs
Location
Hattiesburg American: State fights worst teen pregnancy rate in US
The campaign goal: “Every American has access to quality and affordable health care solutions!” Join a community that is well informed on health issues in the news. See the links below and Get Empowered Now.
MARKS — With her hair in a ponytail and her smile quick and wide, it's hard to tell that high school junior Donyell Hollins has been pulling all-nighters for most of the semester to take care of her infant daughter.
Her situation isn't unusual in the small Delta town of Marks, home to one of the highest teen pregnancy rates in the state that leads the nation in the statistic. But unlike teen mothers in previous decades, 18-year-old Hollins is benefiting from a change in attitude that's paving the way for frank discussions about parenting skills, career goals and contraception.
Instructors from the Delta Health Partners Healthy Start Initiative come to Hollins' high school monthly to teach lessons that incorporate some of the newest theories on the relationship between poverty and teen motherhood.
Click Here to read the full story.
