Abstract:

What is a dedicated, well-intentioned public health practitioner to do when it starts to feel like the science supporting her recommendations is hardly more persuasive to her community partners than the daily horoscope? Pile on more evidence? Not by a long shot, as our case story protagonists find out the hard way in the tale of the town of East Point, a diverse and hard-working community in the fictitious US state of Columbia. East Point and its high school are faced with hard choices at every turn: Offer comprehensive sex ed, but then have to cut afterschool programs to address the town’s budget crisis? Accept serendipitous outside funding for abstinence-only education, but then deprive the town’s youth of effective school-based sexual health education? 

Notes:

Teaching note available for faculty/instructors.

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