Pregnancy can go well for women with diabetes

By the Carroll County (Illinois) Health Department
Teen pregnancy and parenting are a part of our community. It may not be the topic at the dinner table each evening, at church, or a football game, but it is a reality. The Teen Parent Services at Carroll County Health Department will educate and guide those teenagers who have become pregnant or who are parents to succeed in their personal lives, which, in turn, will provide opportunities and well-being for their children.

In 2001, 12.2 percent of Carroll County births were to teen mothers, compared to 8.3 percent for Jo Daviess and 7.6 percent for Ogle County. In 2000, 14.7 percent of all births in Carroll County were to teens, while statewide teen birth rates were 11.4 percent.

The numbers of teen pregnancies in Carroll County have increased since 1994, while state numbers have decreased by 13 percent.

In order to help decrease teen pregnancy rates, increase awareness and guide teen parents to obtaining self-sufficiency, Carroll County Health Department now offers a program to address these issues. Teen Parent Services is a grant-funded program available to Carroll County teens that are either pregnant or custodial parents. The primary goal of Teen Parent Services, or TPS, is to guide and support the teen parent to complete her high school education or equivalent. The TPS program also educates the teen on preventing subsequent pregnancies; provides research-based instruction to improve parenting skills, and increases the teen’s knowledge of family planning and family health. These activities, in collaboration with schools and other agencies, will lead the teen to personal independence.

TPS may also provide referrals and supportive services to teen parents for special needs such as employment counseling/job searches, secondary education, housing, child care, paternity establishment, child support, legal services, mental health counseling, WIC, and other community services. The use of creative, family-centered intervention techniques assist elimination of barriers to the teen parents’ ongoing participation and attaining of goals.

There are two ways a teen may be involved in the TPS program, volunteer or TANF (mandatory). If a teen is pregnant or a custodial parent, is under 20, has not completed high school or equivalent, and receives or has applied for services such as TANF (Temporary Assistance to Needy Families), medical assistance, food stamps, WIC or Family Case Management, he or she would be eligible to join TPS. The teen client must also attend school or GED classes, as agreed with each school. Each month, the TPS case manager contacts school counselors for verification of attendance.

As a TPS client, the teen would be contacted once per month by the TPS Case Manager. The case manager may call the client or meet with the client at school, home or a TPS office. During these monthly contacts, six issues would be addressed: Education, Family Planning, Family Health, Strengths, Barriers, and Career Goals. Each month a specific topic is also addressed with the teen, such as Budgeting, Infant Care, Stress Management, and Parent/Child Interaction. As a TANF recipient, the teen is mandated to participate in TPS. The goals and expectations are the same as for a volunteer client.

For more information on Teen Parent Services or to enroll in the program, call Elizabeth Crichton, TPS Case Manager, at Carroll County Health Department 815-244-8855.

(Statistics obtained from IPLAN, Illinois Plan for Local Assessment of Needs. Contact your county for similar programs in your area.)

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