The City of Eagle Pass held a proclamation for Teen Pregnancy Prevention Awareness month on Thursday, May, 23, 2018. Mayor Pro Tem Yolanda Ramon presented the Maverick County Hospital District Juntos Podemos Program Marlen Ramirez and United Medical Centers Advocate Jessica Ramirez a proclamation for their work bringing awareness to this issue.

Ramon emphasized the outstanding work that both organizations do to bring awareness and educate on this matters.“Thank you for all that you do It’s very important to bring awareness to our teens and community.” Maverick County teen birth rates rank among the highest in the nation at 67 teen births per every 1,000.

The MCHD Juntos Podemos Program is a teen pregnancy prevention project that has partnered with the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, Texas A&M, to collaborate through Personal Responsibility Education Program and competitive grants under the Affordable Care Act.

The projects main goal is to provide an evident based educational informational program in regards to abstinence and contraception to prevent pregnancies as well as sexually transmitted diseases. Teen Pregnancy awareness and Prevention is put at the forefront during the month of May across the entire nation. During 2015 Maverick County had among the highest teen pregnancy rates in the United States. The teen birth rate was at 67.52 teen birth per every 1,000. Compared to 42.3 teen births per every 1,000 in the State of Texas and 29 teen births per every 1,000 in the United States. The teen birth rate, in Maverick County more than doubled the national average, Locally various organizations preach abstinence, prevention and other options focused on deterring teen pregnancies and high rates in our community. These organizations seek to decrease the teen birth rates due to the many problems and social ills for those teens that go through because of the life changing ordeal.