**Download the SIP Brochure**

What school staff are saying:

For the last two years the Hannah Medical Center has sent a team of volunteers to Camden Fairview High School.

This team has presented a program of “Sexual Integrity” to our Health Classes.  Our students have been very receptive and appreciative of the information provided. 

Each year the presenters have done an excellent job of presenting and explaining the information in a way that our students understand.  The presenters have been patient with our students.  They have shown a lot of concern and compassion for each of our students. 

I am very pleased with this program, as are our administrators.  We feel that our students have benefited greatly from this program.  I hope we can continue this program for years to come.

Coach Melissa Thames
Health Teacher 
Camden Fairview High School

This letter is written in support of the Hannah Medical Center's Sexual Integrity Program. I was personally able to watch both presenters, Jennifer Bryan and a gentleman from Camden, facilitate heart-to-heart talks with our Bearden Middle School students, grades 6, 7, & 8.

Both presenters and their message were well- received by our students, faculty, and parents. Our students were very complimentary of how genuine our speakers were, as well, as the teaching methods chosen to get the point of abstinence across. I think the SIP Program is a wonderful resource for our schools, so much so we have scheduled the Navigator Program for our 9th Grade High School students.

We look forward to having volunteers from the Hannah Medical Program to return to our schools next year to continue educating our youth. Parents need all the reinforcement they can get in educating their children about making better, more informed choices.

The SIP program does not exclusively focus on "sex," but more on better decision-making, building up an individual's self- esteem, recognizing peer pressure, etc. We are very appreciative of the Hannah Medical Center's SIP Team!!

Rachell Sorrells
Bearden School Counselor, Grades 7-12

Knowledge & attitude changes lead to behavior changes.

The following is part of the results from our Pre & Post tests given to every 7th & 9th grade student in our SIP:

I plan to save sexual activity for marriage:
Males: Pre-44.8% agreed. Post-64.5% agreed.
Females: Pre-69.6% agreed. Post-91.9% agreed.

Choosing to avoid the use of sex & drugs can help me to save sex for marriage:
Males: Pre-59.7% agreed. Post-69.4% agreed.
Females: Pre-60.9% agreed. Post-92.1% agreed.

Abstinence from sexual activity until
marriage will help me to accomplish my
goals in life:
Males: Pre-63.2% agreed. Post-76.2% agreed.
Females: Pre-83.8% agreed. Post 95.2% agreed.

Sexual Integrity Program (SIP)

SIP Mission Statement

The Hannah Medical Center’s Sexual Integrity Program (SIP) equips the youth in our communities with necessary and factual information related to sexual health.  By providing abstinence education with a focus on character and integrity, The Hannah Medical Center is committed to the emotional, physical and spiritual well-being of all Union, Ouachita and Columbia county students. 

What our SIP volunteer instructors are saying:

I’m writing this ... on behalf of Hannah Medical Center as a volunteer for its Sexual Integrity Program (SIP).  For the past two years I have taught the character-based program for El Dorado sixth and eighth graders and I can say without a shadow of a doubt that our youth not only need the program (students report six eighth graders are currently pregnant at Barton-we can confirm three) they are asking for moral direction

In both middle schools throughout the SIP course young ladies revealed to me and the other teacher their gamut of sexual experience, ignorance and heartache.  My visiting their world helped me understand how naïve, complacent and callused we adults are to their world, their concerns, their fears, etc.  Not a day went by of my teaching that I was not both shocked and grieved - shocked at point blank questions by experienced fourteen year olds about group sex, oral sex, anal sex, etc., and grieved by girls who wanted private counsel to tell me or the other teacher about sexual abuse, their own disease, or other heartbreaking information.  The pregnant girls in the classes just laid their heads down on their desks as if to say, “ I refuse to participate because my life is too far gone.” 

Sad, isn’t it?  Do we need this program in El Dorado, Union County, and the surrounding area?  Absolutely.  We fail our children if we don’t give it to them.  Our society and community provides guide rails on highways, filters on computers, and alcohol and drug prevention programs.  Why shouldn’t we provide instruction for real safe sex by giving our young people the abstinence message? 

Furthermore, according to my co-instructor, the former nursing director of ICU for Medical Center of South Arkansas, Union County has one of the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases in the state.  Based on national figures teenagers ages 15-19 are the largest segment of the population who are contracting them.  Do we need Hannah Medical Center’s SIP presentation in Union county schools? Absolutely.  In my opinion, it should be required.

Twenty years ago, I was a teen mom.  To this day, I am still impacted by that youthful, ignorant decision.  My life would be different today if I had had a program like Hannah’s SIP program at my school. 

Please consider supporting this work to help young people make good choices for their future.   Too many times teens get pregnant, contract diseases, or quietly suffer with abortion because they are un-informed of the potential consequences of their sexual choices, or they don’t have a clear road map of how to avoid the pitfalls.  Hannah’s SIP program addresses both issues providing youth with factual information and clear direction. 

SIP is a no-brainer.  We help ourselves when we help our youth choose abstinence.  When they grow up happy and healthy with a bright future, we all benefit. 

Rhonda Rudder

In November I received a letter from Jennifer Bryan, Coordinator of the Sexual Integrity Program (SIP) from The Hannah Medical Center, requesting volunteers for teaching students in the Union County area.  I thought, I can do that so I volunteered.  The time came in January to actually teach the program.  As I prepared for the class I thought, I have so many other things to do will this really be worth my time?  After the first class I knew it was well worth my time.

In this day and age with all the technology you would think that children 6-9th grade would have been exposed to enough information about sex that they could make educated decisions regarding their choice to remain abstinent.  I also thought with this exposure that there would be an openness between children and their parents regarding sexual issues.  According to my experience at Barton Jr. High with 8th grade girls, this is not happening.

In the program my co-teacher and I discussed information regarding future dreams and goals, abstinence, terms used to describe sexual activity, the differences between boys’ thoughts and girls’ thoughts regarding sex, rape vs. date rape, sexually transmitted diseases, pregnancy, the effect of alcohol and drugs in the decision making process, and ways they can protect themselves and their future by avoiding tempting situations.

These topics were all part of the SIP course curriculum.  The girls were receptive to the information.  They actively participated and encouraged each other through discussions.  They took the time to actually think about how their choices today will impact their future.

At the end of each topic we encouraged the girls to write down questions they had regarding what we discussed in class.  WOW – I was blown away by the questions.  It was obvious from some of the questions that there were sexually active girls in our classes.  It was also obvious that they were very misinformed.  A few of the questions we received were:

1. I was told that you can only get pregnant 2-3 days a month.  I was also told that you can’t get pregnant while you are on your period.  Is this true?
2. My boyfriend says we can have anal or oral sex and that way I won’t get pregnant.  I think that is safe.  What do you think?
3. I have been sexually abused.  Does that mean I wanted to have sex?
4. My mom had me when she was 16.  Does that mean I have to do the same thing?  How can I make sure I don’t get pregnant?
5. My boyfriend says if I love him I will have sex with him.  Is that the only way I can truly show him I love him?
6. I had sex with my boyfriend and he dumped me.  Does that mean I have to have sex with every other boyfriend I have?

We answered each question the girls had.  Some questions were difficult to answer because of the topic and honesty that was needed to answer them correctly.  Others were easy to answer.  Regardless of the awkwardness or easy in answering their questions, it was obvious in the girls’ responses that they appreciated the honesty.  They listened to the information, they thought about their lives, and made educated decisions about their future.

Teaching the SIP program was an eye opening experience.  I learned as much as the girls we taught.  I also learned about the pressure these girls are placed under to become sexually active. Through participating in this program the girls made educated decisions about their futures.  Based on my experience teaching this program I also made a decision to continue to teach the SIP in order to help these precious girls.  If we can educate one girl to remain abstinent until marriage we have made a huge difference in the life of the girl, her family, and our community.  Please consider joining the Hannah Medical Center in their endeavor to help young girls!

Becky Parnell, RN, MNSc, CS
Hannah Medical Center Volunteer

Attention Schools! If you would like to schedule one of our SIP classes, please contact us.