It’s time to talk about teen pregnancy in Wellington, health workers say.

On Feb. 10 and 11, community leaders and teens gathered at the Leeper Center to discuss concerns, resources and possible solutions related to this issue.

“It’s a dialogue that’s been needed in Wellington for some time,” said Margaret Lee Masters.

Lee Masters is on the mental health team for Poudre School District and works in the Wellington (Colorado) schools one and one-half days each week. She is also involved with PSD’s teen pregnancy program located at Fort Collins High School. Some Wellington students are enrolled in the program, she said.

The communitywide discussion was initiated by counselors at Wellington Middle School, the county health department and two nonprofit groups, Sexual Assault Victims Advocates and the Healthier Communities Coalition of Larimer County.

Kori Wilford of the Larimer County Health Department said there is concern in the community about inadequate resources, both in terms of access to information and also access to confidential, low-cost clinical services.

Wilford said that several people involved with Wellington youth had noticed an increase in questions about sexual issues, including pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, among middle school students and even younger children.

Because most youth acquire sexual information from each other, Lee Masters said, misinformation and myths abound.

“Information needs to be available in a way they’re comfortable accessing it,” she pointed out.

Those attending the two forums included town officials, local ministers, school personnel, the extension director of the Wellington Boys & Girls Club, community members and middle school students. A total of 23 people attended the meetings.

National statistics, Wilford said, show a disturbing trend. While teen birth rates declined significantly from 1991 through 2005, rates increased 5 percent between 2005 and 2007. In 2007, 6,754 females under the age of 20 gave birth in Colorado.

In Larimer County, there were 251 births to females age 15 to 17 in the years 2005 through 2007, according to Wilford. Fifty percent of the teen births were to Latinas.

Forum participants commented that teen pregnancies put a burden on society, in terms of expensive social programs, and also limit what the young parents can do with their lives. Teen pregnancy is the leading cause of dropping out of school for girls.

Participants listed some of the problems that Wellington faces in preventing teen pregnancies. Lack of transportation to services in Fort Collins was repeatedly mentioned. Other issues are limited health care services and difficulty accessing pregnancy test kits or condoms in a confidential manner. It’s difficult to access products or services in a small town confidentially, students noted, because young people are likely to know the checkout clerks at stores.

The importance of parents in preventing teen pregnancies was emphasized, along with a need for more parent education on how to talk to teens about sex.

“People don’t know what to do,” said Jenny Langness, executive director of the Alpha Center, which counsels individuals facing unintended pregnancies. The organization offers free parent education classes in Fort Collins (221-5121 or www.thealphacenter.org).

Rick Carlson, pastor of the River of Life Fellowship and 3seven12, said dealing with the teen pregnancy issue begins with “an environment of acceptance.”

“These kids want to be known, loved, accepted and supported,” he said.

Forum participants offered several ideas for addressing the issue, including more local entertainment for youth, access to accurate information in a safe and nonjudgmental environment, more spiritual direction and involving both girls and boys in the discussion.

Forum organizers will compile information and comments from the two Wellington meetings and will make recommendations to the community by the end of March. They may make a presentation to the Wellington Town Board at some point.

Wilford noted that teen pregnancy is a concern throughout the county, and a new group is being formed to look at solutions. The group, the Larimer County Teen and Unplanned Pregnancy Action Group, will begin meeting in early March.

The Wellington Boys & Girls Club will offer a six-week course for youth called Growing Up Smart beginning in April. The purpose of the course, open to ages 10 through 14, is to help youth make healthy life choices to support their passage into adulthood.

Classes will be held at the club each Wednesday and Thursday, 5 to 6 p.m., beginning April 2.

The program deals with developing healthy interpersonal relationships as a foundation. Its goal is to help young people delay the onset of sexual activity and practice behaviors which prevent pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases, including HIV/AIDS.

For more information, contact extension director Kari Jo Lawrence at 568-7338.