NEWS RELEASE
PORCUPINE HEALTH UNIT
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On Tuesday, November 24, 2015, the Porcupine Health Unit (PHU) will be hosting a community information session at the Dante Club from 7 p.m. until 8:30 p.m.
This session will include information on teen pregnancy rates within the district, review the 2014 Teen Pregnancy Report and discuss some of its conclusions.
All members of the community including professionals, parents and teens, are encouraged to attend.
“The reasons for our high rate of teen pregnancy are not as simple as we initially thought,” says Laurie Dagg-Labine, a public health nurse at the PHU. “What we know is that we all have a role to play in helping our teens lead healthy and successful lives.” She adds that “members of the community play an important role in teen pregnancy prevention and ultimately, the overall health of our teens.”
In 2013, the PHU conducted a research study to better understand the lived experiences of teen mothers in northern Ontario.
This study led to the creation of the 2014 Teen Pregnancy Report, which was distributed throughout the community in late 2015. Laurie Dagg-Labine, the author of the report, says the initial purpose was to address the high rates of teen pregnancy in Timmins.
With the completion of the report, the PHU’s focus has shifted to working with community partners to address some of the underlying concerns identified in the report.
The information session is the first of several activities the health unit is planning.
The Porcupine Health Unit is located in Northeastern Ontario, serving the entire Cochrane District and Hornepayne, in Algoma District.
The main office is located in Timmins, Ontario, with branch offices in Cochrane, Hearst, Hornepayne, Iroquois Falls, Kapuskasing, Matheson, Moosonee and Smooth Rock Falls.
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