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April is STD Awareness Month
and a new program at California State University, Fresno -- Family PACT
-- is helping students manage family planning and sexual health issues
through a combination of counseling and medical services.
Family PACT offers free family planning and sexual health services to
eligible Fresno State students, including a unique peer-to-peer sexual
health counseling component.
Since its launch March 2 by the university’s Student Health and
Psychological Services, more than 480 students have enrolled, said Kathy
Yarmo, coordinator for Health Promotion and Wellness Services.
A strong component to Family Pact is patient education and counseling.
With 11 student peer health educators, the program is stepping up its
campaign to reach out and educate eligible students during STD Awareness
month.
Each counselor has more than 40 hours of training to conduct
confidential education sessions on birth control and sexually
transmitted disease prevention with fellow students, Yarmo said.
“Other universities within the CSU system have had great success with
their Family PACT programs, and we knew that with Fresno State’s student
population it would be beneficial for our Student Health Center to
implement a program as well,” Yarmo said.
She attributes the high enrollment in Fresno State’s program to two key
elements: the use of peer-to-peer counseling and free services.
“Students know they can speak and relate with peers confidentially and
comfortably,” Yarmo said.
At other clinics, students can pay anywhere between $15- $400 for birth
control and sexually transmitted disease prevention services. Fresno
State students who qualify for the program can receive these testing and
prescription medication services at no cost, resulting in substantial
savings, Yarmo said.
Eligible students are those who meet the programs income guidelines, are
at risk of getting pregnant or causing pregnancy, are California
residents, have no other affordable family planning health coverage, or
are in need of keeping these services confidential.
For more information about the program or to view eligibility
requirements visit
www.familypact.org.
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