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Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center Launches Reproductive and Sexual Health Campaign during CDC's STD Awareness Month
Story Number: NNS130411-19
4/11/2013

By Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center Public Affairs

PORTSMOUTH, Va. (NNS) -- The U.S. Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center's (NMCPHC) Health Promotion and Wellness (HPW) campaign announced the launch of its Reproductive and Sexual Health program Apr. 11.

The sub-campaign is part of a Fleet-wide effort to encourage Sailors, Marines, their families and health educators to access resources about preventing sexually transmitted infections (STIs), like HIV, and unintended pregnancies.

These prevention strategies aim to increase the health and readiness of the Navy and Marine Corps forces.

The timing of the announcement is aligned with NMCPHC's Sexual Health Month and the Center for Disease Control and Prevention's Sexually Transmitted Disease (STD) Awareness Month.

"April is NMCPHC Sexual Health Month - an opportunity for every command to help their shipmates 'chart a safe course' with the free, easy-to-use materials in our April Health Promotion Toolbox," said Mr. Michael R. (Bob) MacDonald, NMCPHC Public Health Educator.

NMCPHC's Sexual Health and Responsibility Program (SHARP) is the cornerstone of the Reproductive and Sexual Health sub-campaign.

According to MacDonald, SHARP is an effort to create a cultural norm within the Navy and Marine Corps in which sexual health is encouraged, supported and expected.

SHARP aims to reduce the occurrence of STIs, including HIV, and unplanned pregnancies among Sailors, Marines and their families to levels specified in selected Healthy People 2020 Objectives.

Practical tools, educational resources and prevention strategies are available through the SHARP sub-campaign website, including best practices for preventing STIs and HIV, and information about long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs), such as birth control implants and intrauterine devices (IUDs), to help Sailors and Marines navigate family planning.

To access and download Reproductive and Sexual Health materials visit: http://www.med.navy.mil/sites/nmcphc/health-promotion/reproductive-sexual-health/Pages/reproductive-and-sexual-health.aspx.

The Reproductive and Sexual Health sub-campaign is part of the NMCPHC's HPW Campaign, which provides innovative and evidence-based health promotion and wellness programs and services that facilitate readiness and resilience, prevent illness and injury, hasten recovery and promote lifelong healthy behaviors and lifestyles.

HPW aligns with the 21st Century Sailor and Marine Initiative, a set of objectives and policies across a spectrum of wellness, that maximizes each Sailor's and Marine's personal readiness to hone the most effective combat force in the history of the Department of the Navy (DoN); as well as "Operation Live Well," a Defense Department campaign targeting service members, veterans and military operational leaders encouraging them to live healthy and active lifestyles.

NMCPHC is part of the Navy Medicine team, a global health care network of 63,000 Navy medical personnel around the world who provide high-quality health care to more than one million eligible beneficiaries. Navy Medicine personnel deploy with Sailors and Marines worldwide, providing critical mission support aboard ship, in the air, under the sea and on the battlefield.

Follow the Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center on Facebook for the latest news and updates on health promotion and wellness.

For more news from Navy and Marine Corps Public Health Center, visit www.navy.mil/local/nmcphc/.