As an advocate for all communities, especially my Carib and Latino areas – it is extremely important for each culture to have a sex health resource they can trust. Not only are educated individuals more likely to protect themselves, they are more inclined to share information with their friends and family. I am honored to promote BeforePlay.org and BeforePlay.org/es (Sex Health in Spanish) as a safe platform to learn about taking care of your sexual life…

Como defensor de todas las comunidades, especialmente a mi Carib y áreas latinos – Es muy importante que cada cultura tenga un recurso de salud sexual que pueden confiar. No sólo son educados personas más propensas a protegerse a sí mismos, son más propensos a compartir información con sus amigos y familiares. Me siento honrado de promover BeforePlay.org y BeforePlay.org/es como una plataforma segura para aprender sobre el cuidado de su vida sexual…

Enjoy/Disfruten,

Kimi

Beforeplay.org/es Beforeplay.org Launches a Spanish Website and Engages the Hispanic Community about Sexual Health and Well Being.

Beforeplay.org, a Colorado public health initiative aimed at reducing the number of unintended pregnancies, has recently launched a new Spanish website, Beforeplay.org/es. The new Spanish language site provides useful resources on a range of sexual health topics, including: information about birth control and contraceptive methods, pregnancy, STDs, and ways to initiate important sexual health conversations. Beforeplay.org seeks to normalize the conversation about sexual health in Colorado communities, and engaging Hispanics is a priority for the initiative. In a 2010 report by the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE), Hispanic women represented 44.4 percent of the births resulting from an unintended pregnancy. Unintended pregnancy has a significant impact on educational attainment. The Hispanic graduation rate in 2007 was 57.1 percent.

By engaging the Hispanic community with a range of online tools and information, Beforeplay.org hopes to significantly decrease the rate of unintended pregnancies, and create a new outpost for sexual health that previously was lacking. “Latinas do not report having sex more than white women, but are at higher risk for pregnancy because they have significantly lower rates of contraceptive use. This disparity in contraceptive use is based not on simple preference, but is closely connected to social and economic inequity,”according to the National Latina Institute for Reproductive Health.

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Beforeplay.org offers a variety of tools to help people plan for pregnancy, including different ways one can talk to partners, family, friends and health care providers about these issues. Beforeplay.org also makes it easy to find important resources such as nearby health centers and emergency contraception. “Beforeplay.org began because young people in Colorado didn’t know where to go for trustworthy information, and they were uncomfortable having conversations about sexual health. We’ve seen great engagement with Beforepelay.org and we are excited with this next step to broaden and continue these conversations among Spanish speaking Coloradans,” says Dr. Chris Urbina, executive director and chief medical officer at the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment. “When someone might otherwise feel alone, Beforeplay.org provides a safe place to get information and connect with an open community,” says Nathalie Perez, Beforeplay .org volunteer and public advocate.

The community at Beforeplay.org shares true stories that touch upon the conversations that many only have behind closed doors. Testimonials discussing everything from STDs, to family planning, to experiences with different contraceptives all are available on the video section of the Beforeplay.org site. All of this information is available on the Spanish site, and will be expanding in the coming months.

To learn more, visit www.beforeplay.org/es.

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About Beforeplay.org:

Beforeplay.org is part of the public/private partnership between the Colorado Department of Public Health and Environment (CDPHE) and the Colorado Initiative to Reduce Unintended Pregnancy (CI). Launched in 2008, the CI is an informal coalition of entities providing low-cost family planning services, educational efforts and advocacy. Beforeplay.org is proud to play a role in achieving these key public health goals by creating awareness and providing a professional, trusted resource.

So, how responsible are you?

Take the “Prime Sex Time Quiz,” brought to you by beforeplay.org