[Congressional Record Volume 144, Number 4 (Monday, February 2, 1998)]
[Senate]
[Page S277]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




 PHOEBE PUTNEY MEMORIAL HOSPITAL RECEIVES NATIONAL AWARD FOR COMMUNITY 
                                 HEALTH

 Mr. COVERDELL. Mr. President, I would like to commend Phoebe 
Putney Memorial Hospital in Albany, Ga., for being named one of five 
national 1998 American Hospital Association (AHA) NOVA Award winners. 
The award recognizes innovative AHA member hospitals for their 
outstanding progress toward restructuring the health care system with a 
focus on community health.
  Phoebe Putney, the largest hospital in southwest Georgia, is being 
honored for its Network of Trust program for pregnant and parenting 
teens. The program was established in 1994 through a community 
collaborative, in partnership with Phoebe and the school system, to 
address the teen pregnancy problem in Albany/Dougherty County. The 
goals of the program are to (1) promote healthy mothers and babies; (2) 
decrease child neglect and teen drug abuse; (3) increase self-esteem 
and; (4) prevent school dropouts.
  In 1994, the rate of birth to teens in the U.S. was 59 per 1,000; the 
rate in Georgia was 72 per 1,000; and in Albany/Dougherty County, the 
rate was 91 per 1,000. More than 400 babies were born to teenagers at 
Phoebe in 1994, with 18 percent of those babies requiring treatment in 
the high risk nursery and 25 percent of the mothers delivering for the 
second or third time.
  Network of Trust is based on the concept of teens as peer counselors. 
The program is implemented in the school system in three phases. Phase 
I involves early identification to offer prenatal care and education 
on-site at the school. This is designed to reduce school dropout rates, 
build self esteem, promote parenting skills, reduce fears related to 
childbirth and teach anger management.
  Phase II targets teen mothers after delivery to discourage repeat 
pregnancies. Mothers are encouraged to maintain competitive grades and 
are provided training to alleviate parental frustrations that often 
lead to child abuse. Phase II teen mothers also act as mentors to Phase 
I pregnant teens.
  Phase III offers a summer internship at Phoebe Putney Memorial for 
selected Phase II participants to enhance self-esteem and decision-
making skills. Interns are matched with hospital staff mentors and the 
participants are encouraged to pursue future education, with an 
educational stipend given to each teen that successfully completes 
Phase III.
  Network of Trust also includes a component for teen fathers with 
weekly classes taught by instructors with special training and school 
counselors. Students utilize infant simulator dolls that are 
computerized to record the type of treatment they receive from their 
``parents.''
  The program's immense success can be measured in many ways. 
Participation has increased steadily each year, with 38 students 
participating in the 1994-95 school year, 241 in the 1995-96 school 
year, and approximately 273 students in the 1996-97 school year.
  The program has also greatly reduced the number of repeat 
pregnancies. In 1994, 22 percent of births to teens in the U.S. were 
repeat pregnancies. Of the 38 participants in the Network of Trust in 
1994, there were only two repeat pregnancies, or 5 percent. In 1995-96, 
only 3 percent of participants had repeat pregnancies. And in 1996-97, 
there were only 1.5 percent repeat pregnancies.
  The high school dropout rate decreased significantly. In 1994, the 
dropout rate for Dougherty County was 45 percent. In 1995-96, only 8 
percent of the participants dropped out of school and, in 1996-97, just 
1.4 percent.
  Also, for the first time in the 90s, the number of low birth weight 
babies born in Dougherty County dropped. The economic impact of the 
students who graduated from high school produces an additional $830,000 
in anticipated income for those students as workers.
  Phoebe will receive the AHA NOVA Award on Monday, Feb. 2, in 
Washington as part of the AHA's Annual Membership Meeting. I 
respectively ask my colleagues to join me in congratulating Phoebe 
Putney Memorial Hospital on this important achievement in improving 
Georgia's community health.

                          ____________________