Local agencies learn how to
better serve young mothers
BY COURTNEY GA1LLARD
THE CHRONICLE
Health care professionals
from around Forsyth County
spent July 30 networking at an
Agency Sharing Fair.
Dozens of people spent the
morning at the Forsyth Coun
ty Department of Public
Health swapping information
about pregnancy care and
adolescent health.
Among the agencies in
attendance at the fair were the
Coalition for Drug Abuse Pre
vention. Family Services Uc.,
Parent Corps, The Children's
Home and WISH (Women's &
Infants Services for Health),
to name a few.
"One of the goals has been
to improve the sharing of
information among agencies
within the community, and
this was a concrete step
toward doing that," said
Robert Beasley, CEO of Youth
Opportunities. Youth Oppor
tunities is a community-based
residential treatment and
counseling program that
offers emergency and short
term group care.
Many of the health care
agencies have recently come
together and formed the Preg
nant and Parenting Teens
Coalition to discuss ways to
better address the health
needs of adolescents in the
community.
"The issues that (pregnant
and teen parents) face are
very unique compared even to
other adolescents in general."
said Judy Lupo, maternity
health supervisor for the
Health Department.
According to Lupo,
Forsyth County has the high
est teen pregnancy rate out of
all of the urban counties in
North Carolina.
Constance N. Parker,
executive director of Wilm
Photo by Courtney Gaillard
Constance Parker of WHAT.
Robert Beasley
ington Health Access for
Teens (WHAT), was the
keynote speaker for the event.
She talked about creating and
operating a successful adoles
cent health center, which she
started six years ago. WHAT
is a nonprofit, private health
care facility that provides
affordable care for teenagers
through a family-centered
approach.
"We had a lot of services
in Wilmington (before the
center opened), but I would
always hear people saying
that what we really need is a
place where teens feel com
fortable in coming (for health
care)," Parker said. "We
believe that (teens) are impor
tant just like (anyone else),
and we respect (them)."
General health care,
immunizations, counseling,
health education, minor ill
ness and injury care are some
of the services that WHAT
offers to teen patients. All
teens receive care at WHAT
regardless of their ability to
pay
Before WHAT opened, the
teen pregnancy rate in New
Hanover County was very
high, according to Parker. But
between 1990 and 2002, the
number of pregnancies in
New Hanover County went
from 104 to 49 pregnancies
per 1,000 15- to 19-year-olds.
Parker said the numbers speak
of what kind of impact
WHAT has had on the adoles
cent population in that com
munity.
a
Court
from page AI
enough funds by next year so that
the program can be self-sustain
ing.
The court uses a holistic
approach to reform kids who
have strayed off the path instead
of the Band-Aid remedies that are
handed out in regular Juvenile
Court. The court is voluntary, but
teens who take part are subjected
to regular drug tests, weekly
progress and attendance reports
from their schools, and are
required to attend mental health
and other treatment programs if
needed. The rewards for the teens
are a clean record once they com
plete the program and. officials
hope, a positive new outlook.
A team of professionals -
including Chief District Court
Judge William Reingold and rep
resentatives from the school sys
tem, CenterPoint Human Ser
vices and court counselors - meet
on a regular basis to discuss
teens' prospects and progress.
The teens appear before Rein
gold in court every two weeks so
that team members can discuss
openly the teens' cases. Teens
who do well along the way are
rewarded with things as simple as
a round of applause from the
judge and team members. Incen
tives also have included gift cer
tificates to the mall and tickets to
Wake Forest University sporting
events. Teens who have fallen off
the wagon, missed school or who
have had lapses in their commu
nity service hours are subjected to
penalties, which could include a
night or two in the slammer.
"In many respects it is sort of
a tough-love situation," Reingold
said. "I have told them over and
over, 'I will hold you accountable
for what you do.'"
The 12 teens in the program
have been referred by judges,
lawyers, parents and court offi
cials. The program can accom
modate up to 25 teens. But the
program deals with more than
just the participants. Parents are
expected to be willing partners as
well.
"How can we deal with the
child if we can't deal with the par
ents. and the child' is there at
home with the parents?"
Williams asked.
Most parents have been will
ing participants, but some,
because of their own problems
with drugs, have been ordered to
attend parenting and other work
shops. Reingold said parental
support is key.
"We have had a number of
mothers who have broken down
in court crying and Thanking us
for helping to give them their
children back, and certainly that
is very rewarding and very moti
vating." he said.
Todd Parker, case manager
for the treatment court, is charged
with getting to know the teens
and their parents in order to try to
decipher what type of programs
would be most beneficial.
Although drug abuse, mostly
marijuana, is an obvious issue for,
the teens, officials said it is usual
ly a symptom of a much larger,
problem that someone on the
team can usually help solve.
"It takes awhile to build that
rapport before they feel comfort
able and the families feel com
fortable sharing what their issues
are," Parker said.
Williams has been out selling
the treatment court concept to
anyone who will listen. He wants
the court around a lot longer than
the initial grant will allow. In
order for that to happen. Williams
is hoping to secure other grants
and corporate dollars. Audiences
have been receptive to the court.
Williams said, especially when
they leam that putting a teen
through the program costs about
80 percent less than locking him
or her up.
The first teens are expected to
graduate in December. Officials
said they hope the kids will be
able to stay on the straight and
narrow once the regular supervi
lion dissipates. Reingold admit
ted that the success of the pro
gram can't be immediately deter
mined. Regular progress reports
on the graduates are being
planned to monitor their post-pro
I
gram activities.
"You take your best shot, you
keep your fingers crossed, and
you hope something sinks in,"
Reingold said. "If you can save
one family, you help save genera
tions of families after that. At
least you have that potential."
For more information about
the Forsyth County Juvenile
Treatment Court, call Gene
Williams at 761-2242.
n
Latham
from page A1
stars on the flag of Algeria.
Instead, she said, the vast canvas
that she is working with has
given her some headaches.
"The bumps in the cinder
block makes it hard to get all the
little details and the right tex
ture," Holder said as she and
Brown worked to put the final
touches on the first phase of the
project.
Brown is a budding artist in
her own right. Her paintings
have been featured at Delta Arts
Center. Brown has been a long
time friend of Latham. She and
Larry Fields, the school's former
principal who died suddenly last
August, were close friends.
Brown was seeking Holder's
advice to help Brown with her
own art when Holder recruited
her to help with the flag project
Flags that are diverse in
color and geographic region
have been selected for the hall
way. The flag of the United
States has been painted promi
nently at the top of the hallway.
Next to that. Brow A added the
flag of Liberia, an African
nation settled by freed slaves ,
from the United States.
"Since it has been in the
news a lot, I wanted to include
Photo by Kevin Walker
Geneva Brawn and Jennifer Holder work on the American
flag, which is the first flag students will see.
it." Brown said.
The flags will beinstantly
familiar to Latham students and
staffers. The school is truly
international. The school's stu
dent population is evenly split
with black and Hispanic stu
dents. There is a small group of
white students as well. Teachers
come from similarly diverse
racial and ethnic backgrounds.
By the time the school year
is over. Latham students will he
familiar with more than coun
tries' flags. This year, students in
each grade level will he assigned
two continents to study thor
oughly. Students also will get a
unique look at the world through
a special interactive lab. in
which they will he able to com
municate with people across the
country and in other nations via
computers and satellites.
Latham has also regularly
sent teachers abroad to study in
countries such as France and
Mexico. Medlock hopes to send
teachers along with students on
such trips in the near future.
Posters to make vacant buildings prettier
SPECIAL TO THE CHRONICLE
Downtown Winston-Salem
gets a bold new look this week
as the Downtown Winston
Salem Partnership unveils its
new Window Facade Beautifi
cation Project. The goal of this
project is to create arf interest
ing. clean, uniform look across
currently vacant downtown
store windows.
The project kicks off this
week with the addition of new
temporary window coverings
featuring the downtown Win
ston-Salem skyline as well as
colorful original art from local
artists. The production of the
coverings was made possible
by the law firm of Womble
Carlyle Sandridge & Rice.
PLLC, a Downtown Winston
Salem Partnership member; its
sister company. Ikon Docu
ment Services; and Fain Enter
prises.
Additional elements of the
project include continued
efforts in conjunction with
local property owners and the
city to maintain a clean, invit
ing downtown environment for
residents, workers and visi
tors.
West Fourth Street will be
the first location to get the new
coverings. The Partnership
also will make the coverings
available to any businesses
that would like to participate.
The Downtown Winston
Salem Partnership is a non
profit organization created to
support a vibrant, re-energized
downtown that is the center of
.Culture, entertainment and
commerce.
FTCC
frvm pant? AH
named
coordi
nator of
industri
al and
corpo
rate
training.
H e
received
a bache
lor of
science
Hall
degree from N.C. State Uni
versity in electrical engineer
ing and a master of business
administration degree from
East Carolina University.
Before Forsyth Tech. he was
employed w ith AMP. where he
held positions as associate
accountant. manufacturing
engineering supervisor. EDP
systems analyst, program man
ager. process development
manager and industry market
ing manager.
He has 22 years of experi
ence in industry and training.
Grant
frtm page AI
WSSU's education department,
said she hopes the academy will
make headway in the county's
efforts to help minority students
close the achievement gap.
"This is something that will
help make sure that at-risk stu
dents are able to succeed," Ben
son said.
WSSU would provide some
of its professors to teach classes.
Benson said the academy also
would provide the students
studying education at WSSU the
chance to work in a classroom
environment and earn a master
.of arts degree in teaching while
doing so.
The academy would be
housed at the former Indepen
dence High School, which was
an alternative school for stu
dents with behavioral problems
before the School Board shut it
down earlier this year.
Only eight of the grants will
be given out nationwide.
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