Home : Services

Reproductive Health Counseling

Community Education

Youth Development

• Teen Health Advisory
• C.O.P.E. (Co-Operative Parenting Education) program
• TOP- EYC (Empowering Youth in our Community)

Contact Info:
Lora Venesy
Dir. Family Planning & Adolescent Community Services
617-591-6735
lvenesy@challiance.org

Reproductive Health Counseling

One on one health counseling services provide integrated, comprehensive, reproductive health information in the health care setting. Health Counselor visits supplement preventative health services provided by primary care providers. Health Counselors can usually spend more time with patients to give detailed information, offer testing, and answer questions. Staff are knowledgeable and non-judgmental. Visits are confidential, free of charge and can be conducted in a variety of languages. Services include, but are not limited to the following:

• Birth control/ protection methods
• Pregnancy testing and options counseling
• Sexually transmitted infections- education and testing
• HIV counseling and testing
• Healthy relationships
• Puberty & menstruation
• Fertility awareness
• Emergency contraception

CHA-FP Health Educators provide services at the following sites:

Broadway Health Center
617-284-7000
300 Broadway
Somerville, MA 02145

East Somerville Health Center
617-575-5520
42 Cross St. Somerville, MA 02145

Everett Teen
Health Center*
617-843-0700
100 Elm St.
Everett, MA 02149

Health Educators collaborate with schools, parents, community organizations, health care settings, etc. to provide free health workshops for participants of any age. Trained and certified Health Education staff provide age-appropriate classes and workshops in a variety of formats, ranging from single-sessions to a semester-long series, and vary in length to meet the needs of the audience. Education is provided within various venues such as community fairs, parent-teacher meetings, in-school classes for grades 4 through college level, staff training/in-services, and in community youth serving agencies. Health topics include but are not limited to the following:

• Anatomy/Physiology
• HIV/AIDS
• Sexually Transmitted Infections
• Pregnancy and Parenting Issues
• Pregnancy Prevention
• Abstinence
• Protection Methods/ Contraception
• Healthy Relationships/ Dating Violence
• Puberty
• Adolescent Development
• Communication/ Talking to Parents/ Talking to Teens
• Self-Esteem
• Decision-Making
• Sexuality/ Stereotyping/ Homophobia
• Primary Health Care/ Reproductive Health Care
• Teen Health Centers: Access and Available Resources

If you're interested in scheduling a workshop, or receiving additional information about education, please contact Kelly Baker, Supervisor of Prevention Education and Outreach, at 617-591-6756.

Somerville Hospital Women's Health Center
617-591-4800
230 Highland Ave. Somerville, MA 02143

Teen Connection*
617-575-5690
81 Highland Ave. Somerville, MA 02143

For appointments,
or to speak with a Health Educator, please call numbers listed above.
For additional program information, contact Lora Venesy, Director of Family Planning
and Adolescent Community Services
at 617-591-6735.

*Indicates a health center for people between the ages of
12 and 24.

Youth Development

CHA-FP facilitates a range of school-based youth development programs at both Somerville and Everett High Schools.

• Teen Health Advisory
  Teen Health Advisory is an after-school peer-leadership program at both Somerville and Everett High Schools. Groups are guided by Health Educators, and focus on peer-led education, where teens pick monthly health topics. Teens coordinate bulletin boards and cafeteria information tables, as well as contests and fundraisers. Groups meet weekly.

• C.O.P.E. (Co-Operative Parenting Education) program
  COPE is an educational program for pregnant and parenting students in Somerville. This credit program supports teens through pregnancy and parenthood with case management, tutoring, support groups, education, and advocacy, with the ultimate goal of helping teen parents graduate. The C.O.P.E. office is at the High School and monthly workshops are provided on topics such as newborn care, nutrition, financial assistance, self-esteem, relationships, etc. For more information, please contact the C.O.P.E. Educator at 617-625-6600 x6156.

• TOP- EYC (Empowering Youth in our Community)
  EYC is a youth development program with a focus on community service learning that is based at Everett High School. Students meet weekly to earn credit for this year-long health elective about self awareness and healthy living, and choose a community project to work on as a group. The program is based on a combination of science-based curriculum and service learning as preventive methods, and is evaluated to prevent teen pregnancy and reduce school drop out and course failure. Additional (separate) component reaches out to younger high risk youth in area middle schools, and community organizations with comprehensive health education.

For questions about educational youth development programs, please contact Kelly Baker, Supervisor of Prevention Education and Outreach, at 617-591-6756, or the COPE program directly.