All women deserve the right to decide if, when and how to start a family.
This requires access—to comprehensive sex education as well as unrestricted access to sexual and reproductive health services. Young people deserve access to medically accurate, comprehensive sex education in order to make informed decisions for their futures. Access matters.
In Douglas County, rates of sexually transmitted diseases (STDs) among young people ages 15 to 24 are notably higher than they are in the state of Nebraska—or even nationwide. Adolescents in our community continue to report epidemic rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia specifically.
This is why, after careful research, including community conversations and planning by the Women’s Fund and other stakeholders, the Adolescent Health Project launched in 2015. Donors have invested nearly $6 million toward the development and implementation of community-wide changes.
The Adolescent Health Project aims to increase sexual health knowledge of youth and improve health outcomes by providing barrier-free access to STD testing and treatment and highly effective forms of contraception to reduce STDs and unintended pregnancies, particularly among young people of all genders, ages 24 and younger.
Increased Access to Free STD Testing & Treatment
STD rates among young people, ages 15 to 24, are notably higher in Douglas County than they are in the state of Nebraska or nationwide. Adolescents in our community continue to report epidemic rates of gonorrhea and chlamydia specifically.
The Women’s Fund invests grants in local organizations that are working to increase the availability of free STD testing and treatment. Private donors provide funding for the grants.
In 2016, Adolescent Health Project grantees significantly increased the number of sites offering evening and weekend STD testing, with several organizations doubling or tripling the number of hours they offer testing each week. The number of STD tests completed by grantees doubled from 2014 to 2016.
All organizations receiving these grants have committed to creating or expanding programs benefiting all genders, ages 15 to 24, in the areas of STD testing, STD treatment and condom distribution. By increasing the accessibility of free testing and treatment, we will create sustainable, community-wide changes in the sexual knowledge and health of Omaha’s youth.
Community-Wide Condom Distribution
Through the Adolescent Health Project, the Women’s Fund began community-wide distribution of free condoms in January 2016. Condom distribution programs have been proven to increase condom use, prevent HIV/STDs and save money by reducing STD rates and unintended pregnancies.
Our grantees distribute condoms in Get Checked Omaha branded containers at health centers and 147 locations where young people frequent—such as coffee shops, clothing boutiques, restaurants, bars, hair salons and college campuses. There’s no age requirement—anyone can get free condoms without judgement.
The number of free condoms distributed increased from nearly 42,000 in 2015 to more than one million in 2018.
Trusting Women and Opposing Abortion Bans
LB 814 bans a method of abortion, once again attempting to put politics between a woman and her doctor. Fundamentally, we trust women to make health care decisions that are best for herself and her family. Medically, there is no reason to deny women and their doctors the ability to use this method of abortion care that is being banned in LB 814. This bill puts politics between a woman and her doctor and puts reproductive health care further out of reach for women across the state and we oppose this legislation.
This bill follows similar attacks on patient-physician relationships experienced last session with the passage of LB 209, forcing physicians to provide information to patients about “reversing” an abortion, that was not supported by science. Senator Megan Hunt has introduced LB 872 to repeal last year’s law and protect the safety of women and their relationship with their physician.