While HiTOPS is serious about decreasing the rates of teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases among Latina youth—it is now playing games to spread the knowledge of risk reduction strategies into the larger community.LHEEP—Latina Health Education and Empowerment—is a 22-week afterschool program that provides sexual health education and accessible, affordable healthcare to young Latinas, ages 16 to 19. This year’s program has 32 girls, and meets in high schools or community sites in Trenton, Princeton and West Windsor. LHEEP focuses on risk-reduction strategies for HIV, sexually transmitted diseases, and pregnancy prevention.
Each participant is expected to share what she has learned with at least 10 people—friends, family, community groups. To help them do this, HiTOPS education staff designed three bi-lingual games that are as educational as they are fun: Later Baby: Know your birth control methods, Condom Line-up and Status is Everything: an HIV activity. Using the games as tools for interaction and conversation, the girls are becoming confident educators and advocates for risk reduction with those they know as well as with broader community audiences such as Communiversity and Princeton Area Community Foundation’s reception for Fund for Women and Girls.
Diana Miranda, HiTOPS Latino Outreach Coordinator, said, “This program is so important for these girls. The information they are learning is both life saving and life changing. It is exciting to see them take control of their health and their lives.”Latinos face greater than average risks for HIV and unplanned pregnancies. Mercer County’s Latino Vision Council cites healthcare as one of the top issues for the Latino community—with limited access to affordable healthcare and low health literacy as barriers for maintaining health and obtaining care.
According to the New Jersey Department of Health and Senior Services, New Jersey has the highest proportion of females among people living with AIDS of all 50 states, and four out of five women living with HIV/AIDS in New Jersey are minorities. Among New Jersey Latinas with HIV/AIDS, 63% of the infections were related to heterosexual exposure categories, underscoring the fact that HIV and pregnancy prevention education are both critical health issues for young New Jersey Latinas. Half of all new infections of HIV are in individuals 25 years of age and under.
Included within the program is a tour of HiTOPS Center for Adolescent Health, introduction to the range of health services offered, and a gift card to cover service fees.
LHEEP is reliant upon contributions to do this important work with these vital young women, and is grateful for the support from Princeton Area Community Foundation’s Funds for Women & Girls, the Bunbury Company, and The Mary Owen Borden Foundation.
