HHS Secretary Tommy G. Thompson today announced more than $17.1 million in new grants to help 49 communities develop and implement abstinence-only education programs for young people age 12 to 18.

"In preventing so many of today's sexual health problems, it is clear that choosing abstinence is the surest protection against disease and unintended pregnancy," Secretary Thompson said. "These grants will help create an environment that supports teenagers who choose to postpone sexual activity."

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention reported in 1999 that nearly 50 percent of high school students had sexual intercourse, putting them at risk for teen pregnancy and sexually transmitted diseases.

The new awards, called Community-Based Abstinence Education Grants, come in two categories: three-year implementation grants totaling $15.6 million, and one-year planning grants worth nearly $1.5 million that support training and community assessment activities.

The grants are administered by the Health Resources and Services Administration, an HHS agency that also administers the Abstinence Education Formula Block Grant Program. The Abstinence Education Formula Block Grant Program, created by the fiscal year 1996 welfare reform legislation, has an appropriation of $50 million per year from fiscal years 1998-2001. Block grant funds are distributed by formula to states, which must match each $4 in federal funds received with $3 in non-federal funds. No match is required for the new community-based grants.

A list of the community-based abstinence-only program grantees and their awards is available at: http://www.hrsa.gov/Newsroom/releases/200120Releases/abstinenceonlygrants.h tm