The Milwaukee Journal Sentinel reports Milwaukee's teen birthrate - the second highest in the nation less than a decade ago - is dropping at a pace that could put it near the much lower state average by 2015, according to data released Wednesday by public health officials.
"We know there's much work to get done, but we should all feel encouraged this trend is going in the right direction," said Bevan Baker, Milwaukee's Health Commissioner.
Baker, co-chair of a United Way of Greater Milwaukee advisory committee, worked with Center scientists in 2008 to set a goal of reducing the city's teen birthrate, which, in 2006, hovered at 52 births per 1,000 teens’ ages 15 to 17. By 2015, the goal is 30 births per 1,000 teens in that age group.
Learn more about setting the goal.
Remarkable progress
In a related editorial, the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel praises the progress but recognizes the health disparities that remain.
As Milwaukee Commissioner of Health Bevan Baker says, "You do not sprint a marathon; you run a marathon."
And that is what United Way and its partners continue to do this year by investing $614,000 in programming to prevent teen pregnancy and sexual victimization of girls - a $100,000 increase over last year's funding. More than 3,000 Milwaukee-area youth will be served by these programs.
The Journal Sentinel also reports that another program initiated by United Way two years ago brought together several funding sources to invest $325,000 to fill gaps in services aimed at preventing teen pregnancy, early onset of sexual activity and sexually transmitted infections. That initiative, called the Milwaukee Teen Pregnancy Prevention Collaborative, involves the Brico Fund, Johnson Controls, the Faye McBeath Foundation, Rockwell Automation, the Greater Milwaukee Foundation and United Way.
The Center for Urban Population Health’s Design, Analysis and Evaluation Core has partnered with United Way to provide a city-wide evaluation of their multi-site teen prevention programming.
Learn more about this innovative evaluation.
