Breakthrough in VD Education in Los Angeles County: 200 Schools with VD Instruction

Abstract

The venereal disease education program of the Los Angeles County California health department funded as a Public Health Service Project in July 1963 spent its 1st 6 months in recruitment of staff and the development of fact sheets guides and pilot institutes. Approximately $40000 was granted each year for 3 years. Through the press radio television and community organizations the plan was to create a climiate that through community action would permit the schools to ask the health department for assistance in preparing a strong health curriculum. Or as an alternative the community action would results in school districts asking the health department for immediate assistance in providing venereal disease teaching information and in training teachers to present subject matter on venereal disease. To implement teacher training on venereal disease immediately the health education staff arranged for a series of teacher institutes on the subject as part of the year round institute program of the Los Angeles County Superintendent of Schools. The 1st institute was held in April 1963. Before starting the institute program on a district by district basis a kit of teaching aids was assembled and a venereal disease teaching manual was developed by the senior health educator assigned to the project during the last half of 1963. Since that time in September of each year letters are sent to all district school superintendents indicating that teacher training and materials are available on the subject of venereal disease education. Meanwhile the health department worked with the Los Angeles City School Districts secondary program development staff on audiovisual aids for venereal disease teaching and this cooperation ultimately resulted in the development of a new film. Newspapers were the first of the news media approached for help. Approximately 200 of the 305 junior and senior high schools in Los Angeles County now provide teaching and curriculum time on venereal disease. At the start of the project only 10 schools provided some teaching on the subject. Questionnaires distributed annually at a teenage fair revealed that a great majority of Los Angeles County teenagers now have a fairly comprehensive knowledge of syphilis and gonorrhea.