The Harlem Health Promotion Center’s "EC as 123" Project aims to increase New York City youth's knowledge of and access to Emergency Contraception (EC). Also known as the Morning-After Pill or Plan B®, EC is a form of birth control that can prevent pregnancy up to five (5) days after unprotected sex. To increase access and awareness about EC, HHPC created low literacy, culturally-relevant social marketing materials that include posters, brochures and a website (www.ec123.org). Formative research was conducted to ascertain the target audience's baseline knowledge of, attitudes towards and likelihood to use EC (if needed). The findings also informed the development of the social marketing materials described above. What's more, the social marketing campaign was created for and by youth. HHPC's Youth Advisory Board (Delta KABB) consisted of ten African-American and Hispanic students ages 15 to 20 who participated in both the development and dissemination of the social marketing materials. The materials are reflective of the Harlem community while being culturally-competent and relevant for youth city and nationwide.
To order “EC as 123” materials including posters, brochures and the DVD “My Life, My Decision” click here or contact the Project Coordinator at mn2282@columbia.edu. If you already have a copy of the DVD "My Life, My Decision" and
would like to download the Harlem Health Promotion Center's DVD
Facilitator Guide, please click here.
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Other components of the “EC as 123” Project include:
Health Education Workshops
Project STAY (Services to Assist Youth) provides free health education workshops for high schools and community based organizations throughout New York City. Our team is made up of health educators, health care providers and social workers, all of whom have experience working with youth and young adults. “There’s Always Plan B: Birth Control and Emergency Contraception” is our 45 minute interactive workshop on reproductive health emphasizing pregnancy prevention, hormonal contraception and Plan B®. The DVD “My Life, My Decision” is used as a teaching tool with small and large groups.
In 2007, over 1500 New York City youth received education about Emergency Contraception. For more information about Project STAY, visit www.projectstay.net
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MHT Outreach Coordinator and Health Educator Tiffany Garcia leading a workshop on pregnancy prevention and Plan B®) |
Reproductive and Sexual Health Counseling
Project STAY (Services to Assist Youth) provides free and confidential reproductive and sexual health counseling to youth age 13-24 in high schools and community based organizations throughout New York City. Our team is made up of health educators, health care providers and social workers, all of whom have experience working with youth and young adults. Youth can discuss a variety of topic with a Project STAY counselor including STI and HIV prevention and testing, pregnancy prevention, options counseling and Emergency Contraception. STI and HIV screening services are also offered to youth: both are non-invasive (urine based for STI, oral for HIV), confidential and free.
For more information about “EC as 123” contact Dr. Alwyn Cohall, Director, Harlem Health Promotion Center at atc1@columbia.edu or the Project Coordinator at mn2282@columbia.edu.