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Students at 22 high schools in the
Philadelphia school district will return from winter break to find plastic
condom dispensers in their student health offices. The condoms are free and
available to all students; however, nurses will not be allowed to distribute
condoms to teenagers whose parents have opted them out of the program.
According to Dr. Donald F. Schwarz, Philadelphia’s health commissioner and
deputy mayor for health and opportunity, the schools chosen for this program
have the highest rates of sexually transmitted infections (STIs) among
students. Schwarz and the school district sent letters to the parents,
explaining that if they did not want their children to participate, they should
call or send a letter to their school’s principal. Principals will then make
that list available to the nurses. Students who are on the opt-out list will
not be able to get condoms from the dispensers.
In 2010, Philadelphia saw a nearly
50-percent increase in gonorrhea and chlamydia cases among young people,
providing the impetus for this program. Schwarz declares that one out of four
people infected with HIV in Philadelphia is between the ages of 13 and 24, and
CDC warned in a report that condom rates were decreasing among Philadelphia’s
youth. In response, Philadelphia launched a website called
takecontrolphilly.org in April 2011, featuring sexual health information for
teens and parents, as well as a mail-order option for ordering condoms. Schwarz
declared that “For the first time in four years, we saw a decline in STIs among
adolescents by 5 to 6 percent.”
The program is not without
controversy, with some members of the same family expressing opposing views on
teens and condoms. Schwarz emphasizes that there is no evidence that making
condoms available increases the rate of sexual behavior among young people.
Philadelphia Mayor Michael Nutter strongly agrees with this high school
initiative. CDC recommends making condoms accessible to sexually active youth,
and has concluded that condom distribution programs are effective in increasing
condom use, delaying the start of sexual activity, and reducing STDs in youth.
The Friends of AIDS Foundation is
dedicated to enhancing the quality of life for HIV positive individuals and
empowering people to make healthy choices to prevent the spread of the HIV
virus. To learn more about The Friends of AIDS Foundation, please visit: http://www.friendsofaids.org.
TOGETHER WE REMAIN STRONG!
