Merced program recruits youths, young adults to become sexual health educators

Planned Parenthood Mar Monte in Merced has started a new round of recruitment for its Peer Education Program, an effort that promotes sexual health education among youths.

Through the 15-year-old program, which clinic staff dub as one of their most successful, teenagers and young adults are trained to become health educators – providing outreach and medically accurate information to their peers in the community.

To be eligible for the program, applicants must be ages 16 to 22 and must be able to commit to nine months of participation.

The peer educators are trained to share accurate information regarding teen pregnancy prevention, sexually transmitted infections (STIs) and how to communicate with their partners, among other topics.

Desirre Herrera, regional program manager at Planned Parenthood, said sexual education programs such as these are important, especially because young people account for a substantial proportion of new STIs.

According to the data from the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, Americans ages 15 to 24 make up 27 percent of the sexually active population, but account for 50 percent of the 20 million new STIs in the country each year.

The consequences of these diseases can be particularly severe for young women. The CDC reports that STIs cause about 24,000 women to become infertile each year.

CDC data also show that 1 in 4 new HIV infections occurs in people ages 13 to 24.

The latest available state data for Merced County show that in 2013 the county reported 1,027 cases of chlamydia, a common STI that can infect men and women. That same year, 141 cases of gonorrhea and 18 cases of syphilis were reported.

Teen pregnancy in Merced County has slowly declined over the past few years, but it is still an issue of priority, Herrera said. A 2013 report by the Public Health Institute, shows that 470 teen births were recorded in 2012 in the county, a rate of 39.4 births per every 1,000 teenagers.

“We know that when young people have questions about sexual health, they ask their peers, people their age,” Herrera said as to why Planned Parenthood’s staff has worked to maintain programs such as these in Merced.

This time around, there are seven slots open for the Peer Education Program. Each person who is selected receives a $50-per-month stipend.

Herrera said the program is competitive, and applicants go through an interview process, the same as when applying for a job. Former participants of the program, she explained, have gone on to become full-time staff members at Planned Parenthood and other clinics.

Those interested in applying to become a peer educator can pick up an application at the Planned Parenthood office at 3166 Collins Drive. Applications must be submitted by April 3. Herrera explained that Peer Education is only one of many educational programs offered by the clinic.

For more information on Peer Education and other programs, call the Planned Parenthood office at (209) 724-7220.

This story was originally published March 26, 2015 at 7:19 PM with the headline "Merced program recruits youths, young adults to become sexual health educators."