Health educators are inviting Wellington (Colorado) parents, leaders and counselors to find solutions to prevent teen pregnancy and improve youth access to health information and services.

Community members, the Larimer County Department of Health and Environment and the Sexual Assault Victim Advocate Center are hosting two forums next week at the Leeper Center. Each forum will provide the same content. The center is located at 3800 Wilson Ave., the same building as the public library.

The first forum is set for Feb. 10, 5:30 to 6:45 p.m. The second forum will be held on Feb. 11, 12:30 to 1:45 p.m.

The groups will also discuss how the community might build upon and strengthen the existing network of resources and services for youth.

County health educator Kori Wilford said middle school counselors and school nurses are getting more questions from students about how to get pregnancy tests and where to get contraception.

“There is not one single solution when it comes to reducing risk-taking in young people, and in a small town, it’s important to ensure that the entire community can gather around any proposed solution,” Wilford said.

Statistics on youth health are available at the county and state levels, but not for Wellington alone.

Between 2005 and 2007 in Larimer County, there were 251 births to females age 15 to 17 years, representing a fertility rate of 15.4 per 1,000 compared with 23.2 per 1,000 statewide.

According to the 2007 Colorado Youth Risk Behavior Survey, teenagers in grades nine through 12 from a sample of high schools across the state are engaging in sexual behaviors that increase the risk of contracting HIV or other sexually transmitted diseases and unintended pregnancies at the following levels:

• 47 percent have had sexual intercourse

• 7 percent had sex for the first time before they were 13 years old

• 12 percent have had four or more partners since becoming sexually active

A report from the Colorado Organization on Adolescent Pregnancy, Parenting and Prevention has several recommendations, including the following: “After more than a decade of declines in teen birth rates and sexual risk-taking behavior, these trends are beginning to reverse. Teen births and sexu-ally transmitted diseases among youth are on the rise. Moreover, recent research documents that youth are having the same amount of sex but us-ing condoms and contraception at a lesser rate than in previous years. Now is not the time to be complacent — youth need comprehensive health care services and information now more than ever. With a better understanding of the causes of the overall trends in sexual health and recent increases in teen births, communities should recognize the importance of facilitating access for youth to clinical reproductive health services and com-plete health information that is tailored to their needs.”

Statistics on motor vehicle deaths and suicides among teens have also been collected.

Between 2005 and 2007 in Larimer County, the rate of motor vehicle deaths for 15- and 19-year-olds was 17.4 per 100,000 compared to 18.2 per 100,000 statewide. Motor vehicle crashes was the leading cause of death for youth age 15 to 19 years; there were 12 deaths.

Between 2003 and 2007 in Larimer County, the rate of suicide deaths for 15- to 19-year-olds was 7.0 per 100,000 compared to 11.2 per 100,000 statewide. Suicide was the second leading cause of death for youth age 15 to 19 years; there were eight deaths.

More information about the forums is available from Christie Brucher at Wellington Middle School at cbrucher@psdschools.org or from Wilford at 498-6743 or kwilford@larimer.org.