RI group seeks to reduce teen pregnancy

PROVIDENCE, R.I. (AP) - A Rhode Island organization released a statewide plan to reduce teen pregnancy.

The Rhode Island Alliance, a statewide coalition, unveiled details at the Rhode Island Department of Health on Wednesday morning.

Dr. Patricia Flanagan, Rhode Island Alliance chairwoman and chief of clinical affairs at Hasbro Children's Hospital, says the plan has been a year in the making.

The event included Health Department Director Michael Fine, an HIV/sexuality specialist with the state education department and other health professionals.

The alliance's mission is to raise awareness about teen pregnancy and parenting in Rhode Island.

It says there were more than 1,000 births to teens in 2009.

One of the eight recommendations is to focus more attention on teenage girls from 18-19-years-old. The Alliance says this is not a problem of teen girls, instead they say it's an adult problem and the community has a responsibility to respond.

Patricia Flanagan says, "The vast majority of them are poor before they get pregnant so it's chicken and an egg type of thing and we know Central Falls is one of our poorer communities, so it's no surprise that the rates are higher in the poor communities."

Health experts say the good news is that the rate has dropped significantly over the past 20 years.