Local Planned Parenthood Launches New Tumblr for Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month

ALBANY, NY (05/02/2012)(readMedia)-- Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood in Albany, New York, recently launched a new Tumblr called OMG!PP (omgpp@tumblr.com ) just in time for National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month.

According to UHPP Education Director Meaghan Carroll, "our goal is to create a platform that both reflects and informs teen and young adult attitudes about sex and sexuality. We will be posting content that encourages Tumblr users to laugh, reflect and communicate about issues of sex, gender, relationships and sexual health. Over time, we believe this approach will increase the comfort level users have with both the issues and with Planned Parenthood, and encourage them to take positive action to safeguard their own health."

Tumblr is less than five years old, but it is among the fastest growing social media platforms used by today's youth. Currently, more than 50% of tumblr users are under age 25. And, according to a recent report from the Pew Foundation, nearly 40 percent of teens aged 14 to 17 are using digital technologies to seek out health related information, including information on sexual health.

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood (UHPP) actively works to reach teens year round, providing confidential and compassionate services as well as education programming. The agency provides a walk-in teen clinic every Thursday from 2:30 p.m. to 6 p.m. at both their Albany and Hudson health centers. Teens are invited to drop by for medical services, provided by a doctor or clinician, or simply to hang out in a specially designed teen space and ask questions or participate in short workshops. Those who come can watch TV and enjoy free snacks and drinks while becoming more educated about sexual health. The teen-only lounge is staffed by peer educators available to answer any questions. Medical services are confidential and provided for free or at low cost, depending on insurance status and family income.

The National Day to Prevent Teen Pregnancy is organized by the National Campaign to Prevent Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy and is observed each year in May. The United States has achieved sharp declines in pregnancy and childbearing over the past two decades. From 2009 to 2010, the U.S. teen birth rate declined nine percent to a historic low; fewer babies were born to teenagers in 2010 than in any year since the mid-1940s. Rates in Albany, Rensselaer and Columbia Counties reflect this national trend. However, both local and national rates still far exceed those of other developed countries.

Upper Hudson Planned Parenthood provides a wide range of health and education services to men and women in Albany, Rensselaer, Columbia and Greene Counties. In 2011, UHPP provided over 500 education programs reaching over 5,600 youth and adults.