Culver City Observer -

Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles continues its commitment to educating teens and their parents about pregnancy prevention, peer pressure, birth control options, making healthy and responsible choices, and sexually-transmitted diseases with its Teen Seminar on April 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m.

It’s a four-hour seminar that has been hosted for local teens between the ages of 13 and 17 by Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles, twice a year since 2002. The seminar typically has about 80 attendees, and is open to the public.

“Whether or not our teens are having sex, they are being exposed to sex at a younger age though media and overall societal changes,” said Veronica Grijalva MD, Obstetrics and Gynecology at Kaiser Permanente West Los Angeles, who is the physician in charge of the seminar. “Through guest speakers, peer-to-peer discussions and a performance, the goal of the seminar is to break the ice and open up the discussion for teens to feel more comfortable talking about sex and making responsible choices.”

Attendees of the Teen Seminar will watch a performance by Kaiser Permanente’s Educational Theatre Program that focuses on teen pregnancy, contraception, and sexually-transmitted diseases. Students will then separate from their parents and can speak freely with their peers in a facilitated discussion.

The Teen Pregnancy Prevention Seminar will be held on Saturday, April 13 from 8:30 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the KP West LA Medical Center, 6041 Cadillac Avenue in the basement conference room. Please call (323) 857-4233 to register (space is limited). The seminar is free of charge and open to the public.