HealhFirst Network
216 South 3rd Avenue
Wausau, WI 54401
(800) 246-5743

Transcription is for seo purposes only

There are a lot of services that are provided at health first network Jesse, what are some of the things that you do we have the WIC program which is women, infants and children went to the nutrition education program and provide supplemental food benefits for moms that are pregnant, postpartum, and then children 0 to 5 years of age. We have the breast-feeding peer counseling program we have the for families program, which is an obesity prevention program for preschoolers. Then we the farmers market program within the WIC program so families who are on the WIC program are also qualified to receive a $30 fruit and vegetable voucher that can be used at local farmers markets during the summer and fall months so that they can go and get fresh fruits and that's both then if we change course and go into the reproductive health program the reproductive health program offers several services from annual exams FTI or STD testing for STI testing a sexually transmitted infection testing. It used to be called FTD, sexually-transmitted diseases, but that nomenclature has recently changed. We do, pregnancy testing, we do referrals for individuals who are pregnant to any resources that they may need, including the WIC program we provide contraceptive methods or birth control to individuals that come in with provide colposcopy's which are biopsies that the service for individual had abnormal paps. We also provide just general labs that an individual may want and then a lot of education around sexual health. Health versus the confidential reproductive health clinic that means individuals who come in, have confidential services, and that's not being shared anywhere else that we serve adults, but we also search for teenagers within the clinic and do some pretty great programming with teenagers outside of the clinic as well just interrogate you're in charge of the teams program yes so we do the teen outreach program, and we recently implemented that down in Adams friendship. So within the Adams Friendship school district. We work specifically with sixth-grade students implementing that program so teen outreach program is an evidence-based program that has a holistic approach to education. So it does focus on reproductive health, but also focuses on things such as decision-making, goalsetting, setting boundaries, healthy relationships, things of that nature. So really encompasses a lot more than just the reproductive health side, but were happy to be able to include that in there as well know it. With this education piece that you bring out of the schools and Adams friendship. Does that encompass both Boys and Girls Club yes we serve the entire sixth-grade class. So unless someone chooses to opt out our parent would choose to opt their child out of that that is just part of their curriculum. Now that we are implemented into the school day. When we serve those to finishing which success in the program yes so will last year was our first year implementing it. We saw really great success. The students are really engaged in that and there is a community service learning component to that as well so they get to be engaged within their community, which is a huge piece of that. We were caught a little bit short due to COBIT. 19. In talking with our funder is that when we met at the end of our first program year they had relayed to us that they thought really great results. We have a previous survey and post-survey that goes along with that were able to kind of track anonymously how the students have progressed, or what is change throughout the course of the year and then just being able to meet the criteria to make sure that were implementing the program correctly and we were on track with all of that to have a really successful year so I still talk that up as a success, even though we didn't get to see it quite through all the way to the end. Due to those unforeseen circumstances, any other type of outreach programs that you do. Yes. So we do a lot of education within the schools as well so we serve eight different counties and we actually have been in at least one school in each of those counties that we serve. So we go mostly into high schools. We do a little bit of education in some middle schools as well, but we are able to provide education. STI's are sexy transmitted infections and prevention of that and then we also discuss birth control methods and just kind of safer sex practices. We touch on consent some independent overall message of getting a comprehensive look at reproductive health education along with that, we did serve on the committee for human growth and development for the Wasit school district just to help kind of sure that their education again was not only comprehensive but to make sure that it's evidence-based and accurate information that's being provided to those students as well. And of course we make sure that we're providing that sort of education regardless of what school district were in or were serving. Have you thought about taking your curriculum that you're using for sixth-graders and taking that to some of the other counties that you cover yet so that is a potential in the future and we are hoping to do that down the road when there is the opportunity to do so. Currently, as if it were just in that Adams friendship school district at this point in time, but we do hope to spread that again in the future. There is a beginner and intermediate and advanced level to each of the lessons you can really tailor it to make sure that it's going to make sense for those students that you're serving at that point in time. Just it seems as though health first network is doing a ton of things. Is there anything that health first network doesn't do someone a large misconceptions and that communities that we serve is that where an abortion provider and that is not a service that we provide is not even the service that we refer for it something and that we are aiming to prevent through access to easy contraceptive services for individuals