Pmg Awards
Maria Ximena Borquez, MD
Pediatrics,
Diablo Service Area
Pregnancy Test Counseling Program
Dr. Borquez shares this award with Dr. Richard Boise.
In 1996, Drs. Boise and Borquez developed a pilot program in Antioch to provide counseling for teenagers who came in for pregnancy testing. Among the teens in the study, 80% did not want to be pregnant and 58% tested negative. Of those testing negative, 71% were not using hormonal birth control, but after a counseling session, 64% decided to begin using it.
In addition to continuing the program in Antioch, Drs. Boise and Borquez have trained staff at 20 other facilities to implement this program, which targets teens who would not otherwise be seen and provides the right intervention at the right time to prevent unintended pregnancies.