On Friday May 31, 2019, the Iowa Department of Human Services (DHS) Agency announced their intent to award funding to successful bidders for the Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP) Program Grant. The Bee Inspired Program through Building Families is proud to announce that they are one of the several successful bidders to receive this funding. The formal contract will take effect on July 1, 2019, for the serving area of Franklin, Hamilton, and Wright Counties.
In January 2019, DHS released the Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP) Program Local Service Project Grants Request for Proposal (RFP) for the purposes of implementing Comprehensive Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention strategies across the state at the local level. Agencies were eligible to apply for the grant funds in an effort to reduce the rates of Adolescent pregnancy and Adolescent childbearing in Iowa communities by implementing Evidence-Based, Comprehensive Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention strategies to youth in Iowa. The programming is to be inclusive of gender identity and gender expression, with specific attention and programming offered to High-risk/High-need populations. Services provided as a result of this procurement may vary amongst the awarded bidders, but shall be provided to Adolescents (non-pregnant, pregnant, or parenting), parents/caregivers, and community members including but not limited to, youth-serving organizations, Out-of-Home Placement residential facilities for Adolescents, schools, and/or faith communities. More specific details on programming and services to be offered in Franklin, Hamilton, and Wright Counties by the Bee Inspired Program through Building Families will be shared after the contract is finalized.
The Bee Inspired Program through Building Families has been providing services and programming in Hamilton, Humboldt, Wright Counties since 2008 through the CAPP Grant. Over the last couple of years, they expanded services into the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura School District Area in Hancock/Cerro Gordo Counties, and just this last year expanded into Franklin County.
This new fiscal year and new CAPP Program Grant award will bring several changes. The biggest being an updated service coverage area. It is with a heavy heart, the Program announces discontinuation of services in Humboldt, Hancock, and Cerro Gordo Counties effective June 30, 2019. As mentioned above, the Program intends to serve Franklin, Hamilton, and Wright Counties effective July 1, 2019 (pending the finalized contract with DHS). Additionally, programming and services will look a bit different starting in the new fiscal year. However, the Program will be continuing to provide vital adolescent sexual health programming, services and resources in the communities that assists in accomplishing the goal to decrease the rates of sexually transmitted diseases/infections (STDs/STIs), adolescent pregnancies, and additional pregnancies to pregnant/parenting adolescents. By being awarded the CAPP Program Grant for at least three additional years, the Bee Inspired Program through Building Families is able to continue their mission to empower ALL adolescents to make healthy informed decisions through education and community awareness!
The Bee Inspired Program would like to extend a heartfelt THANK YOU to the youth, parents/caregivers, school district educators and administrators, community providers (especially the Public Health entities and staff), businesses, civic and non-profit organizations, Council Members, Board Members, community champions, and other individuals that have supported and/or been involved in the programming and services over the years, in Humboldt County and the Garner-Hayfield-Ventura School District Area within Hancock/Cerro Gordo Counties.We appreciate the relationships that have been built in an effort to help children and families be happier, healthier, and more successful; especially around the education, prevention and awareness of adolescent sexual health topics.