Clinic-based programs for pregnant and parenting teens
Local governments can invest in this strategy using State and Local Fiscal Recovery Funds (SLFRF) from the American Rescue Plan Act (ARPA).
- This strategy can help residents access health services, promote healthy childhood environments, and navigate public benefits. The U.S. Department of Treasury has indicated that strategies that help achieve these outcomes are eligible for the use of Fiscal Recovery Funds.
- Investments in this strategy are SLFRF-eligible as long as they are made in qualified census tracts or are designed to assist populations or communities disproportionately impacted by COVID-19.
Program overview
Reducing the rate of teenage pregnancy: Clinic-based programs provide pregnant and parenting teenage mothers and their infants with access to healthcare, family planning, and social services. Such programs are associated with improved health outcomes for infants and reduced rates of teenage pregnancy and rapid repeat pregnancy.
Operated by healthcare organizations: Clinic-based programs for pregnant and parenting teenage mothers are typically operated by public and private healthcare systems. Programs vary in how they are staffed depending on the services they provide, but often consist of teams including a medical provider (e.g., physician, nurse practitioner) and a social worker.
Providing healthcare and family planning services: For pregnant mothers, programs typically create a prenatal care plan that includes regular wellness visits. During these visits, mothers receive standard preventative care to ensure their and their baby’s health. Mothers may also access family planning services, which can include counseling on birth control methods and a referral to a birth control clinic. After birth, the program assists mothers in accessing regular check-ups for their baby.
Meeting mothers’ broader social needs: In most cases, programs assist mothers in accessing social services to ensure their basic needs are met (e.g., nutrition assistance programs, transportation subsidies). Many programs also offer mothers education on basic parenting skills and child health issues. Common topics addressed in educational programming include nutrition, stress management, breastfeeding, infant care, and more.
- Cost per Participant
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$113 per participant (estimate)
Multiple studies with rigorous designs demonstrate that clinic-based programs for pregnant and parenting teenage mothers are a well-established strategy for improving health outcomes for infants and reducing rates of teenage pregnancy and rapid repeat pregnancy.
- This assessment is based on evidence from a 2017 systematic review and a 2017 research synthesis.
Set up a referral network: Pregnant teenage mothers are less likely to access standard prenatal care than adults who are pregnant. As such, programs seeking to serve this population should conduct proactive outreach to individuals and organizations that work with adolescents. Building relationships with school-based health clinics and internal primary care providers may increase the likelihood that pregnant teens access a program’s services.
Create a teen-friendly clinic: Teenage mothers may differ from adult mothers in the expectations, concerns, and needs they have when accessing clinic-based services. Programs should consider issues of confidentiality, privacy, consent, cultural appropriateness, and parent/family involvement, among others. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention offers a guide on how to create a reproductive health visit teen-friendly.
Identify allied programs: Achieving positive prenatal and infant health outcomes requires taking a holistic approach to the wellbeing of the mother and her child. As such, sites implementing clinic-based programming for pregnant and parenting teenage mothers should establish relationships with internal and external programs that support this population (e.g., patient navigator services, school districts, social services agencies). Such relationships allow program staff to seamlessly connect mothers with social services that meet their other needs, such as access to food, housing, transportation, and more.
Evaluate the program model: Clinic-based programs should develop a process to systematically evaluate the impact of their model. Evaluation provides programs with the opportunity to demonstrate their impact and to identify areas for improvement. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention developed a manual for healthcare systems interested in evaluating pregnancy prevention services.