Presentations and vaccinations for the human papillomavirus, a cause of cervical cancer will soon be available to those students at Mott-Regent who wish to participate.
At last week's meeting, the Mott-Regent school board decided to allow Community Action of Dickinson and West River Health Services to use their facilities present information to both parents and students, as well as provide transportation for any students wishing to receive the vaccine.
HPV, a common sexually transmitted disease, is the name of a group of viruses that includes more than 100 different types. More than 30 of these viruses are sexually transmitted and can infect the genital area of men and women, according to North Dakota Department of Health information
Mott-Regent High School principal Dave Libis said presentation for the parents will be held after school hours, while the student presentation, an optional event, will be held during school hours.
"We agreed to do three separate dates, but we want to run it by the parents first," Libis said. "After which they would come in."
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Tentatively, the school is looking at dates in March and April for the parent and student presentations.
Denise Andress, Community Health Manager for West River Health Services in Hettinger, will be directly involved in the presentations, and will also provide the board information on the HPV education program.
Andress said the first presentation was given in 2007 as a pilot program at Hettinger High School through a grant by the North Dakota Cancer Coalition.
Due to time constraints, only certain parts of the program will be held this year at Mott-Regent schools.
"This year we're only going to do the education," Andress said. "Because of the weather I cannot get the education and vaccination program going because we'd have to do the vaccination program at the beginning of March to make that successful."
Andress said their will be another vaccination clinic in Hettinger to meet grant's needs.
At the parent session, Andress said hopes to answer any questions posed.
"Basically what it is, I go in and talk to the parents and basically say okay, what kind of questions do you have for me," Andress said. "I think as parents we don't have that education and information and I think they have to hunt that out themselves. So they basically have a nurse at their disposal, somebody they can ask questions."
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Libis said the information presented about the HPV education and vaccinations was well received at the board meeting.
"Our board is pretty open to things like that," Libis said. "They are more precautionary than anything when it comes to protection of students and things like that. We just wanted to make sure we're covering all the bases and getting all the information before we proceed."
Libis said he isn't aware of anyone opposed to the idea of the optional presentations.
"If there would be, then maybe they would show their concerns at the parent meeting," Libis said. "That would be coming up before we bring it in to the school, that's when we want to place it in the hands of the parents so they can make a definite judgment on it."
