Looking for a resolution you can keep this year? Own your health in 2018 with just a few easy steps!

Are you ready to take the next step towards protecting your health? You’ve scheduled or want to schedule an appointment at a local clinic or with your primary care doctor. But what happens when you get there? How will you be able to talk with your doctor about sex and other private issues that you might feel embarrassed about?

This Friday, December 1st, is World AIDS Day, a day to raise awareness about HIV. HIV stands for Human Immunodeficiency Virus and is the virus that leads to AIDS. HIV attacks a person’s white blood cells and that makes it hard for them to fight off infections. There are almost 1.2 million people living with HIV/AIDS in the US.

There are ways to prevent sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), but they are still very common, especially among young people. What happens when someone tests positive? Most of the time, if an STD is treated, it will not cause any long term problems, and treatment is available.

California has many laws that protect teen rights to access FREE and confidential birth control and other reproductive health services. Although involving a trusted adult in your health care is best whenever possible, teens don't need their parent’s permission to get birth control, STD testing/treatment or pregnancy are. Eligible teens can sign-up for Medi-Cal and teens without health insurance can sign-up to get care for free through the Family PACT program.

This Thanksgiving, we want to say how thankful we are for how far we’ve come, as a country, but especially as Californians, when it comes to access for sexual and reproductive health care.

In support and celebration of this year’s “Thanks, Birth Control” day, we took a minute to interview Stefanie from San Fernando California, 19, to see what her process was in starting birth control and how it fit into her reproductive life plan.

Deciding to have sex, either for the first time or with a new person, is always a big decision. The most important thing you can do when you’ve decided to take it to the next level is to communicate with your partner! It takes two people to consent to having sex and two people to prevent STDs and pregnancy.

There are a lot of rumors circulating on social media about teen rights to getting birth control and other important reproductive health and medical services.

Don’t fall for the trick this year! Visiting a clinic or health center near you is easier and less scary than you think.