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Published January 2022
As 2022 begins, OPA is reflecting on the many accomplishments of our grantees and staff during the past year. In 2021, we welcomed ADM Rachel L. Levine as the Assistant Secretary for Health, and Jessica Swafford Marcella as the Deputy Assistant Secretary for Population Affairs and Director of the Office of Adolescent Health.
Highlights of Key Resources on OPA's Website
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In the last year, OPA bolstered its website content on topics ranging from adolescent health and reproductive health to research and evaluation and OPA’s grant programs.
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OPA Grant Program Awards
Complex challenges related to the COVID-19 pandemic persisted in 2021 and OPA’s grant programs adapted in creative ways. OPA grants enable states, tribes, and local programs to prevent teen pregnancy, provide family planning services, and implement embryo adoption programs. Learn more about OPA’s grant programs and the impact our grantees have made in their communities.
- OPA awarded $12.6 million for 13 new Teen Pregnancy Prevention (TPP) Tier 1 grants to organizations to improve the health of adolescents and reduce teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted infections in communities with the greatest needs and disparities by using a systems approach to replicate effective programs with fidelity.
- OPA's Embryo Adoption Awareness (EAA) program funded three new grants—Embryo Connections, EM*POWER Donation, and Embryo Solution—to help increase awareness and facilitate the process of embryo adoption/donation.
- OPA awarded $18.8 million in supplemental funds to current Title X grantees to assist grantees in enhancing telehealth infrastructure, preparing for Family Planning Annual Report (FPAR) 2.0, or expanding the provision of Title X services.
OPA Program Updates and Accomplishments
2021 Title X Final Rule
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OPA amended the Title X Family Planning regulations to restore access to equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning services for more Americans. The new rule will strengthen the Title X program by ensuring access for all clients, especially low-income clients, creates opportunities for realigning the nation’s family planning program with nationally recognized standards of care, and will help to improve the health of communities that have been historically underserved. |
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TPP Tier 2B Evaluation Results
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OPA’s TPP evaluation results identified seven innovative programs that experienced positive results such as increased knowledge, improved efficacy, and/or reduced sexual risk behaviors. OPA grantees presented their findings at a session at the American Public Health Association (APHA) 2021 Annual Meeting. Learn more about the TPP programs that have positive results. |
Youth Create!: A Collection of Youth-Created Content
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Following NTPPM, OPA released Youth Create! – a call for videos, pictures, art, poems, essays, and other content from young people who are current or former participants in OPA TPP programs. Youth shared what has helped them get through the pandemic, how being in a TPP program impacted their lives, or what a healthy future means to them. OPA received submissions from grantees across the country in both English and Spanish and used them to create a compilation video. Individual submissions were also posted on the OPA website. |
OPA Events
National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month
In May, OPA celebrated National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month (NTPPM) with youth and grantee programs across the country. NTPPM is a great reminder of the importance of supporting and celebrating youth as they plan for their futures. Teen pregnancy prevention efforts aren’t limited to teaching youth how to prevent teen pregnancy—OPA's TPP program grantees help youth build their self-confidence, develop healthy relationships, and realize their full potential.
During NTPPM, OPA hosted events to celebrate adolescent’s potential.
- Youth from OPA TPP grantee programs—Sasha Bruce Youthwork, Campesinos Sin Fronteras, the Georgia Campaign for Adolescent Power and Potential (GCAPP), and the D.C. Network for Expectant and Parenting Teens (DC NEXT)—took over OPA’s Twitter account in a Twitter Takeover to share their stories.
- ADM Levine highlighted how National Teen Pregnancy Prevention Month is about more than preventing teen pregnancy.
- OPA created a video montage featuring youth discussing how the TPP program helped them develop important skills for adulthood, build health relationships, and help foster confidence and dreams of the future.
- OPA developed a partner toolkit with key messages and activities for NTPPM and shared an infographic showing that in more than 10 years, the Teen Pregnancy Prevention program has served more than 1.43 million young people across 41 states, Washington D.C., Puerto Rico, and the Marshall Islands.
Title X Grantee Conference
OPA hosted the biennial Title X Grantee Conference in July with a theme of Access to Family Planning for Everyone. Everywhere. Close to 500 registrants participated in sessions featuring content on Title X requirements, current clinical trends, evidence-based research, and emerging best practices.
OPA Hosted a TPP Training at 2021 AMCHP Annual Conference
OPA presented a training at a pre-conference session of the 2021 Association of Maternal and Child Health Programs (AMCHP) Annual Conference. This session trained State Adolescent Health Coordinators (SAHCs) on how to apply systems thinking to understand and address racial inequities impacting young people and their families.
Spread the Word with These Posts
- Explore expanded content on @HHSPopAffairs’ website about #AdolescentHealth, #ReproductiveHealth, research and evaluation, and OPA’s grant programs. https://opa.hhs.gov/
- In 2021, @HHSPopAffairs expanded equitable, affordable, client-centered, quality family planning services for more Americans. https://opa.hhs.gov/