A wealth of health

By Julia Maniquiz
News Editor

Fast food outings on a daily basis, dysfunctional relationships and risqué behavior - the typical high school experience.

Students fail to realize the effects double bacon cheeseburgers, abusive boyfriends and unprotected sex have on their future endeavors.

And that is where Teresa Boone comes in.

As Hercules High School's Health Coordinator, Boone is responsible for arranging comprehensive health services for students. Since April of 2007, she has initiated several programs to raise awareness of current health issues for students.

"Safe is Sexy" and "Man Talk" are two of Boone's most recent projects.

"Safe is Sexy," facilitated by Planned Parenthood, was a young women's group which focused on healthy relationships, communication, sexuality and responsibility.

These presentations ran from Oct. 3 to Dec. 5, every Wednesday after school.

At the end of this 10-week course, participants also received training in being assertive.

"Man Talk" was composed of several male interactive workshops to help students better understand masculinity and physical force.

Through Kaiser Permanente, Boone also organized an assembly for eleventh and twelfth graders on HIV awareness, called "Secrets."

Boone is in the midst of organizing "Safe is STILL Sexy," the male counterpart of "Safe is Sexy."
These presentations will commence after school on Wednesday, Jan. 9, 2008, and will continue until March 12.

But this is just the beginning.

Boone spearheaded the condom education and distribution programs, created to empower teens to make responsible decisions regarding their knowledge, attitudes and behaviors and to encourage them to change their risk-taking and sometimes life-threatening behaviors.

Up her sleeve lie several more tricks simply dying to be performed.

Aside from contacting a diabetes educator, Boone is in talks to appear on Rona Renner's talk show, "Childhood Matters."

She is also meeting with the Hercules Community Partnership (HCP) to organize a program for teens and their mothers called, "Can We Talk?"

In addition, Boone is trying to schedule a suicide prevention and intervention presentation for parents, to be done by the Contra Costa Crisis Center.

Aside from health matters, Boone also handles referrals.

She's a multitasking woman to say the absolute least.

Boone is employed by the Bay Area Community Resource Agency, but she does work in conjunction with the school district and county.

"I meet with the district's director of Comprehensive School Health and I meet with the county on school-based health services, both on a regular basis."

Her one complaint?

"I need more space. It would be nice to have a portable designed specifically for the health center. I won't have to be scrambling around."

According to Boone, Hercules's biggest issue in regards to health is mental health. "That's the main problem. The students here need lots of support."

Boone's responsibility is to assess the needs of the students as well as the staff.

"I feel it's not only good to get info from students, but from the administration, too, because they're the ones influencing the kids."

Boone has yet to receive any negative feedback. At the moment, her only concern is the new Hercules Teen Center.

"They have their own programs, too, and I just need to work on making sure what I do doesn't conflict.

"I'm still putting myself out there, trying to let people know I'm here. I just want to encompass everything about health from A to Z."