Minnesota- Resources for Teens – Pregnancy & Postpartum Support
The Minnesota Expectant and Parenting Student Program (MEPSP) provides coordinated case management for expectant and parenting teens and young adults in communities with high levels of need. By referring participants to health services and addressing barriers to their educational achievement, MEPSP prepares expectant and parenting youth for healthy and successful futures.
- Population: Expectant/parenting teens and young adults (ages 10 to 24) with an emphasis on youth of color, including American Indian youth
- Locations: The City of Minneapolis, the City of Bemidji, and Hennepin, Kandiyohl, Renville, Beltrami, and Cass counties
- Partners: Minneapolis Health Department, Minnesota Visiting Nurses Association, Kandiyohl County Health and Human Services, Northwest Indian Community Development Center, White Earth Nation, Red Lake Nation, Leech Lake Band of Ojibwe, Minnesota Department of Education, Minnesota Office of Higher Education
Goals
- Help expectant and parenting youth complete high school or other educational programs by addressing barriers to their educational or vocational goals.
- Improve the well-being of expectant and parenting youth and their children, through referrals to and use of services related to health, parenting, self-sufficiency, and more.
Strategies
Case management
Each participant is assigned a primary case manager—a nurse, social worker, or community health worker—who meets with them and assesses their family’s housing, health, educational, or other needs. Case managers identify barriers to participants’ health and educational achievement and make referrals to support services. In some locations, case managers also provide qualifying families with emergency financial support for expenses like car repairs and utility bills.
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Between Us & Aqua Para Ti
Are you a teen or young adult looking for confidential care in a non-judgmental environment? For pregnancy tests, family planning, sexually transmitted infection testing and treatment – anything sexual health related. We can bill your insurance, or cover it for free if you need it to be private. You can bring your parents or come alone. For more information, please see “ways to make an appointment” on Hennepin Healthcare website.
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