The purpose of the state funded Community Adolescent Pregnancy Prevention (CAPP) program is to reduce the number of births to Adolescents in Iowa. CAPP program services are to be provided to adolescents and their parents for the purpose of preventing adolescent pregnancy; to adolescents who are either pregnant or parenting to prevent subsequent pregnancies, promote self-sufficiency and physical and emotional well-being; and to communities to assist them in addressing issues of adolescent pregnancy. Program components include:
Broad-based representation from community or regional representatives including, but not limited to, schools, churches, human services-related organizations, and businesses;
Comprehensive programming that focuses on the prevention of initial pregnancies during the adolescent years; and
Iowa HHS is the administrator of Iowa's CAPP funding and awards local contracts to community-based organizations to deliver CAPP programming that includes community coalition building, comprehensive programming, and services to expecting and parenting adolescents.
Adolescent pregnancy can occur with teens from a variety of backgrounds. Therefore, there are no specific eligibility criteria for individual participants; however, the program is especially designed to target geographic areas of the state with the highest adolescent pregnancy rates and to consider other at-risk populations.
In addition, most programming is done in partnership with public and private schools throughout the state, as well as other community-based providers (i.e., afterschool programs and other youth-serving organizations). Please see the most current CAPP grantee service coverage map for information about which Iowa counties currently provide CAPP services, in addition to the current adolescent birth rates by county.
Services are community-based and, as a result, they vary in different parts of the state. There is no application process to receive services. For information about adolescent pregnancy prevention programs specific to your community please see the resources section.
Question: Does the CAPP program provide direct services (i.e., birth control, health services, STI testing)?
Answer: No, CAPP is an educational and support service for adolescents and their parents and other caregivers. Find information on reproductive health services and clinics in Iowa.
You have the right to ask for an appeal if you disagree with a decision Iowa HHS makes. You have the right to ask for an exception to policy for an item or service not otherwise covered by Iowa HHS.
