County tackles teen pregnancy through website

According to a 2009 report from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, a total of 409,840 infants were born to teens between ages 15 and 19. Furthermore, between 1991 and 2005 teen birth rates fell by more than one-third. However, in 2008 and 2009 it increased by 5 percent.

As a result of this data, many county health clinics are increasing their efforts to prevent teen pregnancy. For instance, the St. Lawrence County Health Initiative recently received a $125,000 grant from the state of New York to make information about reproductive health and pregnancy available online, the Watertown Daily Times reports.

The program will feature an interactive website and online seminars that offer participants the ability to ask experts questions.

Officials told the news source that the new initiative named Teens Helping Each Other With Life's Problems will also target parents and school districts. They added that the program is not a substitute for open parent-child communication about reproductive health and pregnancy between parents and teens. Rather, it can help supplement the talks with relevant information.

A recent St. Lawrence County survey shows that nearly 26 percent of all births are to teen mothers, which is higher than the statewide rate of 25 percent.