Healthy Futures of Texas

We're continuing to answer questions many Texas parents and guardians have about s*xual health education in schools. ⤵️

❓Question #2: What type of parent permission is required for s*x education?

Parents and guardians can decide whether or not their children will receive s*x education. Due to recent changes in state law, Texas school districts have the choice of using either “opt in” or “opt out” permission slips. If a district uses “opt in,” students will only receive s*x education if their parent or guardian signs a permission form providing consent. If a district uses “opt out,” students in relevant classes or grades will receive instruction unless their parent or guardian signs a form pulling them out of the class.

However, Texas law always requires written parent permission, or “opt in,” in order for students to receive instruction on the prevention of child abuse, family violence, dating violence or s*x trafficking.

📚 Pillar Spotlight: Health Education 🌟

At Healthy Futures of Texas, Health Equity is our aim by delivering inclusive and medically accurate s*xual health education. Our HFTX-published curricula, alongside carefully selected external curriculum and other resources, empowers young people, parents and guardians, and families with the knowledge they need to make informed decisions about their s*xual health. Each year, we're reaching more individuals across our communities, helping them lead healthier, informed lives.

Stay tuned as we continue to highlight how we’re achieving our goals through each of our core pillars!

🌟 What an amazing week at our Texas Youth-Friendly Initiative Summit! Dedicated clinics from El Paso, Dallas, and Houston gathered to discuss how to elevate the care for our younger patients. 🤝✨ Our focus was to create welcoming and inclusive environments and services that support adolescent patients throughout their health journey.

A standout moment was hearing from an inspiring panel of University of Houston students—Daeja, Miranda, Nathan, Humza, and Sally. Their insights were invaluable in refining our approach to adolescent-friendly care, helping us better understand and meet their needs with empathy and effectiveness.

We were also privileged to have our Training Manager, Darius Buggs, lead a valuable Askable Adult Training, and Dr. Chinwe Efuribe delivered a crucial Intrauterine Device (IUD) Training for all attendees. These sessions equipped clinical staff with the latest knowledge and skills to better support young people navigating the healthcare system.

Together, we’re making a real difference in adolescent healthcare! 💪💙

is BACK! Read below for more insight:

📊 Teen birth rates tend to be highest in rural areas. But among the nation's 49 large urban counties with a population above one million, the highest teen birth rates are in Texas.

🌟 Dallas leads the way with the highest teen birth rate in the nation among counties with a million-plus population. In fact, among the 8 large urban counties with the highest teen birth rates, 5 are in Texas -- Dallas, Harris, Bexar, Tarrant, and Travis. 🇨🇱

📈 Source: Healthy Futures Analysis of CDC Natality data (2022) and USDA Economic Research Service Rural-Urban Continuum Codes.

🎒 As a new school year kicks off, we're launching a series to help Texas parents and guardians navigate the important decision of enrolling their students in s*xual health education classes.🏫

We know you have questions, and we're here to provide the answers you need to make informed choices.

Question: "What grade levels will receive s*x education?"

Answer: In 4th grade, students learn basic information about the changes of puberty, and in 5th and 6th grade, students learn about human reproduction and the characteristics of healthy relationships. 7th and 8th graders receive age-appropriate information on topics like healthy relationships, the human reproductive system, preventing pregnancy and s*xually transmitted infections, and peer pressure. In high school, students typically only receive s*x education if they are enrolled in a class such as Health I or Health II, though some schools may provide information outside of these classes.

At Healthy Futures of Texas, we're guided by Five Pillars that keep us aligned with our mission to improve the well-being of young Texans. 🌟 These pillars include Health Education, Training & Technical Assistance, Awareness, Advocacy, and Research/Data. Each pillar plays a crucial role in ensuring equitable access to s*xual health education, contraception, and resources for Texas youth. Together, we're breaking down barriers and creating a healthier future for all. 💪💖

Stay tuned for a more in-depth look at how each pillar hits the mark of the work we do inside of Healthy Futures of Texas. 🔍🤩

📅 Save the Date! 📅

Don't miss the chance to join professionals from the Rio Grande Valley to receive advanced training and technical support and access a network of experts with the latest information and best practices around adolescent development, positive youth development, adolescent-friendly services, and how to apply the quality components of care throughout the stages of adolescence.

Continuing Education credits for multiple disciplines will be provided. Stay tuned for registration link! 📲

Interested in exhibiting, sponsoring, or presenting a session? Email, call or text Melanie at [email protected]

🏅An Unexpected Tradition: Free Condoms at the Olympics🏅

Did you know that since 1988, athletes have received free condoms at the Olympic Games? It's a fascinating tradition aimed at promoting safe s*x and preventing STIs and HIV. Dive into the history and learn how this initiative has evolved over the years, reflecting a commitment to health and well-being on the global stage. Click the link to read more! ⬇️⬇️⬇️

A Stimulating History of Free Condoms at the Olympics So many condoms got flushed down toilets at the 1994 Olympics that it strained the sewer system.

At Healthy Futures of Texas, our mission is to improve the well-being of young Texans through equitable access to s*xual health education, contraception, and resources. We tackle the increasing barriers young people face in accessing quality s*x education, contraception, and healthcare. We're dedicated to expanding into related areas of young adult health to ensure every young Texan has the information and resources they need. 🧡

It's always a good time to share our mission with the world and emphasize why our work is so important. 🌟

Visit our website at hftx.org to learn more about our impactful programs and how you can support our mission. 📲

Hey! We hope you are having a great Friday! Are you ready for our next ?

📊 In 2022, 9,510 young people ages 15-24 in Bexar County were diagnosed with an STI, including 73 new cases of HIV.

🦠 Education on STI testing, treatment, and prevention, as well as access to clinics, supports young people to make healthy decisions about s*x by reducing stigma and providing resources.

🌟 The programs that our health educators provide, including Big Decisions in schools, help to ensure young people know about all the resources available to them to prevent STIs.

📚 We also provide a FREE online resource, the Pride Guide to STIs, for LGBTQ+ young adults.

🌈 For more information, visit buff.ly/4bFI6u7 or send us a DM! 📲 Source: Healthy Futures analysis of CDC's AltaPlus and InnerBody Statistics

We are hiring Health Educators in Austin, San Antonio, and Dallas. 🗣️

Open Positions:
👉 Health Educator II, Community Health Education – Austin
👉 Health Educator II, Community Health Education – San Antonio
👉 Health Educator II, Community Health Education – Dallas

To get the full scoop on what these positions entail, head over to https://hftx.org/careers/ 📲

At Healthy Futures of Texas, we are committed to delivering evidence-based, medically accurate s*xual and reproductive education for parents, guardians, youth serving professionals, and young adults. Our Medical Advisory Committee, made up of esteemed physicians, nurses, and health educators, ensures our programs are current and effective. Their expertise helps us meet the evolving needs of our community. Learn more about our Medical Advisory Committee by visiting https://buff.ly/3VWs75m.

Healthy Futures of Texas wishes everyone a safe and Happy 4th of July. 🇺🇸

We’re thrilled to share that our Talk About it Texas website has has been recognized with the prestigious Gold Award from the American Advertising Federation (AAF) in the consumer website category! 🥇 We couldn’t be happier about this recognition. Our site offers valuable resources, for parents and young adults, on topics like s*xual health, birth control and healthy relationships. If you haven’t explored it yet, now is the perfect time. Visit talkaboutittx.org today! 📲

📝 When asked what should be taught in public schools, 75% of poll respondents, including 68% of Republicans, support teaching abstinence-plus s*x education.

📚 This curriculum teaches students that abstinence is the safest choice, but also provides medically accurate information about topics such as contraception, prevention of s*xually transmitted infections, and healthy relationships.

🛡️ More than 2/3 of voters across all political affiliations, geographic regions, genders, and ethnicities support abstinence-plus s*x ed in schools. 🌍💬❤️

Exciting news! 🎉 Some of our amazing HFTX staff are attending the APP Grantee Conference in San Francisco this week! 🌉 Hosted by the Family and Youth Services Bureau (FYSB), this annual event provides professional development, training, and invaluable networking opportunities. We're thrilled that multiple staff members are presenting their expertise at the conference, showcasing the incredible work we're doing. We are honored and proud to be among other leaders in the field, working together to make a lasting impact and advance our mission for Healthy Futures of Texas. 🌟

National is June 27! 🧡 No matter how you test or what your results are, you can take the next step for your health. Knowledge is power, and together we can make a difference by promoting HIV testing, prevention, and treatment. Visit the resources page at hftx.org to find a clinic and get tested today. 📲

For this we wanted to highlight that although chlamydia is easily treatable if diagnosed early, untreated cases can cause permanent damage that may lead to infertility. 🏥

Nearly one-quarter of cases of chlamydia in Texas are diagnosed in teens between the ages of 15-19, representing nearly 37,000 diagnoses. 📈

After several years of decline, chlamydia rates among Texas teens are ticking back up, increasing by 3% between 2019 and 2022. ⬆️

Let's make sure our young people have the information and health care they need to stay safe and healthy. 💪🩺

Happy ! ❤️ 💛 💚

Today marks the official emancipation of African Americans in the United States. Here at we celebrate and support the extraordinary accomplishments and contributions of the BIPOC community to our world.

We are thrilled to share that twenty-five of our San Antonio BRI.A and Equity Partners, along with our HFTX staff, participated in an incredible two-day TBRI® Training. TBRI® is an attachment-based, trauma-informed intervention designed to meet the complex needs of vulnerable children. The conversations, questions, and insightful reflections from everyone who attended were truly robust. 💬

Shout out to the amazing organizations that joined us: Girls Inc., Good Samaritan, Northwest Vista College, SA Youth, San Antonio College, THRU Project, UTSA, and YWCA. Together, we are better serving Texas youth through collaboration and commitment. 🧡

If your organization would like to get involved, contact us or check out our programs at hftx.org.

Hey! It's Summer folks and as kids settle into the summer holidays, they may find more freedom and less supervision 🌞.

For most kids, this is an important way to build independence 🌱 -- but for some, it can come at a cost 😟. Among preteens and teens below the age of 14, pregnancies are much more likely to occur during school holidays 📅.

Full-term births to girls aged 10 - 14 are much more likely to occur in March, April, and September -- nine months after June, July, and December 📆.

In the last decade, the only year to not show this pattern was 2020, during pandemic disruptions 🦠.

Older teens also have an elevated risk of pregnancy in June and December, but also are more likely to conceive in October and November, as the school year gets underway 🎒📚.

Source: All US births to girls aged 10-14 between 2016 - 2022, CDC Natality dataset

📣 Calling all Dallas teens, parents, and youth-serving organizations! 📣

Join us for the annual Dallas Healthy Teen Conference on June 21st at Dallas College's Mountain View Campus. Enjoy engaging and informative sessions about adolescent health, healthy relationships, fun, food, prizes, games, and more! Registration is FREE and food will be provided! 🎉 🍕 Questions!? Email [email protected]!

Register now ⤵️
Youth Registration : https://buff.ly/3KFAFbt
Adult Registration: https://buff.ly/4aYQcxP

Happy June friends! Hoping you are staying cool 😎 As we hit the weekend we bring today's

Preterm birth, defined as a birth prior to 37 weeks gestation, can result in long-term health impacts 🏥 -- especially when the baby is born extremely pre-term, or prior to 28 weeks gestation 👶.

Girls who give birth between the ages of 10 - 14 are more likely than any other age group except women in their 50s to have extremely pre-term births 🍼, and more likely than women between 15-44 to have pre-term births.

Older teens also have elevated risks of premature births compared to women in their 20s or early 30s 👩‍🍼.

Source: Healthy Futures analysis of CDC natality data for all US births in 2022 📊

We’re incredibly proud of Melanie Chasteen, our Senior Director of Community Engagement, and Paris Rangel, our Program Manager for our Talk About It – Campus Conversations, for presenting at the 2024 conference about our Racial Equity Work Group! 🎉

In Fall 2022, Healthy Futures of Texas committed to centering equity in our work by addressing disparities in s*xual health outcomes and ensuring our policies reflect these principles. Our staff-led Racial Equity Work Group (REWG) has been championing equity across departments and with partners. During this session, members shared invaluable lessons from this critical work. Way to go, team! 🌟

Happy read below for our most recent insight:

📊 In a recent research report, we surveyed Texas parents and Texas teens to find out how our young people are learning about s*xual health.

Both parents and teens agreed that it's best for young people to learn about s*xual health from trusted sources such as doctors 👩‍⚕️👨‍⚕️, schools 🏫, and families 👪.

However, teens told us that they are most likely to get this information from just two places -- their peers 👯, or the internet 🌐.

Let's work together to make sure that Texas teens have access to safe and accurate information for a lifetime of s*xual health 💙📚.

Source: Big Challenges and Bright Opportunities: Adolescent Sexual Health in the Lone Star State

We are hiring a Youth Advocate Team Lead in Dallas 🗣️

Youth Advocates is a positive youth development program that empowers Texas
area teens to become leaders of change in their community through civic
participation at local and state levels. This part‐time position (12 hours a week) is a near peer leadership role. You will work directly with high school students who are part of the Youth Advocates program of Healthy Futures of Texas.

For more details on what these positions entail and how to apply, head over to buff.ly/44Hgkvs 📲

In honor of Mental Health Awareness Month, check out our latest blog to see how Dallas philanthropists, local leaders, and donors celebrated student films on the connection between mental health and s*xual health. 🧡 🧠

Blog link ➡️ https://buff.ly/4aOtsAE

Hey pals! Before we get ready to enjoy our Memorial Day Weekend, we wanted to bring you today's

Rates of syphilis have skyrocketed in recent years, 📈 and cases of congenital syphilis -- when the infant is infected during pregnancy or birth 👶 -- have risen even faster. When a syphilis infection is present during pregnancy, the infant is nearly three times more likely to be admitted to NICU 🏥 . However, early prenatal care makes a difference. When the mother with syphilis started prenatal care in the first trimester, NICU admission dropped from 26% to 20%.

Source: Healthy Futures analysis of CDC natality data, 2022, all US births

All young people deserve safe, supportive spaces for their physical, mental, and emotional well-being. At Healthy Futures of Texas, we're committed to providing accessible and culturally relevant s*xual and reproductive health education to help youth make informed decisions. By improving access to community resources and collaborating with parents, caregivers and professionals, we create environments where adolescents can thrive now and into adulthood. 🧡 Head over to our blog to learn more about our collaboration with the OPA and the work we are doing to support young Texans. 📲 Blog Link ➡️ https://buff.ly/3yzMhKj

Aren't you glad it is Friday! We surely are and as always we bring you today's dose of

Over the last 25 years, rates of s*xual activity have declined among Texas students. 📉
However, by their senior year of high school, 40% report recent s*xual activity 👫, and about two-thirds have had s*x. Our young people deserve access to medically accurate information from trusted sources to help them stay safe and healthy. 🛡️📚

Source: Healthy Futures Analysis of Youth Risk Behavior Survey