"Results, not intentions, should drive government spending" (Our Views, July 30) highlighted the loss of significant federal funding for teen pregnancy prevention (TPP) activities in Oklahoma. We would like to clarify a few points made regarding a report released by the Department of Health and Human Services' Office of Adolescent Health regarding its TPP program's evaluation results, and shed some light on our local efforts.
Oklahoma has the second-highest teen birth rate in the nation. The rate is linked to our high rates of poverty, high school dropouts, foster care caseloads, and a host of adverse childhood events that contribute to the generational cycle of poverty. Additionally, teen childbearing in Oklahoma cost taxpayers at least $169 million in 2010 alone.
The good news is that there are coalitions of experts in Oklahoma and Tulsa counties that have been working to reduce the teen birth rate for many years prior to the federal grant awarded in 2015, and our local results show great progress.
The teen birth rate in Oklahoma has declined significantly — by 26 percent — since 2012, when coalitions in Oklahoma City and Tulsa adopted a comprehensive strategy to reduce teen pregnancies through evidence-based education, access to teen-friendly medical care and community engagement. Groups in both counties have benefited from a variety of private and public funding, resulting in the steady decline of our teen birth rate since 2009.
The full article can be found here.
SOURCE: NewsOK.com