In addition to May being Sex Ed for All Month, it is also National Adolescent Health Month. This year, the US Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Population Affairs (OPA) has outlined four themes:
- Expand sexual and reproductive health information and services.
- Promote self-care to support mental health.
- Celebrate ways that communities support youth.
- Equip adults to support adolescent health.
Here’s how Teen Health Mississippi (THMS) can help your organization with these themes for every month of the year.
Expand sexual and reproductive health information and services
THMS works with healthcare organizations and providers to expand access to youth-friendly healthcare services through our Youth-Friendly Healthcare Training Series. These trainings are available to healthcare organizations and providers across the state. We also offer customized training and technical assistance to meet your organization’s needs.
Our LinkedUp program works with school-based health centers in Mississippi to help young people learn about their healthcare options as they transition from high school to college, the workforce, the military, or wherever their plans take them.
If you are interested in scheduling a Youth-Friendly Healthcare training for your organization or becoming a LinkedUp clinical partner, contact Whitney French at whitney@teenhealthms.org. Check out our training schedule to see our current offerings..
Promote self-care to support mental health.
Project Mind Elevation (Project ME) brings awareness to youth mental, sexual, and reproductive health through youth influencers who provide education and interactive activities both in-person and via social media.
THMS is a training provider for Mental Health First Aid where we train adults on recognizing signs and symptoms of mental health changes in others, how to provide initial support to a person who may be experiencing a mental health challenge or crisis and if needed, connecting them with the appropriate professionals. To bring Adult, Youth, or Teen Mental Health First Aid trainings to your organization, reach out to Josh McCawley at josh@teenhealthms.org.
Celebrate ways that communities support youth
THMS provides a number of resource guides for youth, parents, and youth-serving professionals across the state. If your organization has a service you think should be highlighted in the next iteration of one of our resource guides, reach out to our Director of Healthcare and Community Engagement at whitney@teenhealthms.org, and she will connect you with the proper program. We are also happy to highlight our partnerships with organizations via our website, newsletter, and social media when we are invited to train, provide training and technical assistance, or participate in community events.
Equip adults to support adolescent health
All of the aforementioned themes offer opportunities for adults to be equipped to support adolescent health. Additionally, adults can participate in our Trusted Adult trainings to learn about ways to engage and support youth access to information and resources that could positively affect their health outcomes.
May is National Adolescent Health Month, but adolescent health is a year-round need for Mississippi youth. Please consider partnering with THMS as we work to increase access to healthcare and resources for our teens.
Learn more about our work and how to get involved here.