For Immediate Release

September 6, 2006

Mercy Memorial Gives Parents Some Important Tools

Ardmore — Mercy Memorial Health Center will offer the first in a series of programs about teens and pre-teens on Tuesday, September 19, 2006, at 7 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church Fellowship Hall. “The Power of Influence: Growing Up Healthy in a Hazardous World and Understanding Our Children’s Reality,” will be offered to parents, grandparents or anyone who has a significant influence in the life of a young person.

This event, sponsored by the Mercy Memorial Women’s Health Advisory Board, will offer a panel discussion about what factors combine to create healthy families and what adults can do to impact the health and wellness of adolescents. Attendees will gain valuable information by asking a panel of experts about raising children in today’s world.

“We’re really excited to kickoff the school year with this program,” said Cathy Melton, a chairperson of the Mercy board. “This board has worked for over a year to put a series of programs together. It all started with a vision to help the young people in our community and has developed into so much more. This event will educate adults on how to encourage their children to make healthy decisions. It will also give parents a glimpse into the lives of their children — what they see and hear everyday at school and what parents can do to help kids make better decisions.”

Panel members include: Mercy’s Mark Melton, D.O., ob-gyn; District Judge Tom Walker; Mendy Spohn, Carter County Health Department; Michelle Sanders, Ardmore High School counselor; Brenda Reed, Plainview Intermediate counselor; Nan May, Pregnancy Resource Center; Ruben Garcia, Ardmore Police Department.

Earlier this year, the advisory board hosted a roundtable event at the Ardmore Convention Center with community leaders representing health care, churches, schools, business and government. The group addressed issues facing area children and what can be done to help them grow up in a community that embraces its children. Issues such as teen pregnancy and parental involvement were also discussed.

According to the National Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy, teens say parents influence their decisions about sex more than friends and other sources. “Our board spent a lot of time researching how teens, both nationally and locally, feel about peer pressure and what it means to fit in,” said Diane Barrett, board president. “However, research shows that adults underestimate their own influence on teens.”

“We are very appreciative that so many community leaders took the time to brainstorm about ways to help children in our community,” said Bobby Thompson, Mercy Memorial president and CEO. “Their commitment to this initiative proves their desire to influence the lives of our young people.”

The education doesn’t stop here. More events of “The Power of Influence” will be offered in upcoming months. The next event, scheduled for late this fall, will bring pre-teens and teens together to a roundtable forum to discuss issues they face. The third event, scheduled for this winter, will be a mother/daughter event.

You may register for the September event by going to www.mercyok.net/power or call 580-220-6755. Seating is limited and the program is for adults only.

Mercy Memorial Health Center is a member of Mercy Health System of Oklahoma and the Sisters of Mercy Health System.