A r c h i v e d  I n f o r m a t i o n

Compendium of School-Based and School-Linked Programs for Pregnant and Parenting Adolescents, February 1999

School- and Community-Based Programs

Mercy Children's Medical Center

Agency: Mercy Children's Medical Center
Community Programming
1515 Locust Street 3 MHC, Room 322
Pittsburg, Pennsylvania  15219
Telephone:
Fax:		 (412) 232-7312
(412) 232-7389
Contact Person: Michelle Rupert, Coordinator, Community Programs
Annual Budget: $500,000
Primary Funding Sources: U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Office of Adolescent Pregnancy and Prevention; Grable Foundation; Heinz Endowments; and Mercy Hospital of Pittsburg

Mission:

Design, implement, and evaluate a comprehensive network of care and prevention services that will help meet the physical, emotional, psychosocial, and educational needs of adolescents who are pregnant or parenting or who are at risk for teen pregnancy.

Profile:

In existence since 1992, Mercy Children?s Medical Center offers community-based, school-based, and home-based programs through four schools and two community facilities in an inner city. Each year, approximately 100 pregnant teens, 50 to100 teen mothers, and 25 teen fathers receive services. Clients include African-American (75 percent) and white (25 percent) youth, 11 to 18 years old.

Description of Service Model:

The program at Mercy Children?s Medical Center promotes abstinence and reduction of pregnancies among preadolescents and adolescents in the Pittsburgh Southside communities. The project provides activities that result in lowering the rate of teen pregnancies, increasing the use of positive behaviors, avoiding at-risk behaviors, and increasing self-sufficiency. The program also facilitates the holistic health and well-being of pregnant adolescents and their children, which improves health outcomes and parenting capabilities, as well as enhancing parent-child relationships. Both the care and prevention needs of the target population are addressed by providing age-appropriate education and support through indigenous and professional staff at locations within the schools, communities, homes, and different health care sites.

Evaluation Methods:

Evaluation tools include medical records, enrollment forms, surveys, school records, census information, county statistics, historical data for comparisons, and matched comparison groups.


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