New York hospitals roll out sexual social media campaign

Ever wonder why eggplant and peach emojis exist? Did you know a bee emoji can be used for more than declaring your love for Beyoncé?

New York City Health + Hospitals announced a new public awareness campaign targeting New Yorkers between the ages of 12 and 21 by using “provocative” emojis on social media. The campaign expects to reach 2.4 million teens in the city by the end of October with the ultimate goal of increasing the use of health services for teens by 25 percent by 2020.

“In 2015 alone NYC Health + Hospitals saw 152,000 adolescent patients. NYC Health + Hospitals community health centers are also uniquely situated in neighborhoods that experience disparities in care, where adolescent pregnancy rates and STD rates are higher, and where access to care is difficult,” said Dr. Ram Raju, president and CEO ofNYC Health + Hospitals. “No other health system in the city is seeking to address those disparities and fill those gaps like the public health care system.”

From birth control and emergency contraception to depression screenings, NYC Health + Hospitals “has affordable services in local community health centers, where we speak your language, understand your culture and respect your privacy,” Raju said, according to a press release from the public health system.

“Under New York State law minors have the right to consent to certain kinds of health care on their own,” said Dr. Warren Seigel, chairman of pediatrics and director of adolescent medicine at NYC Health + Hospitals/Coney Island. “This care includes pregnancy tests, STD tests and treatment, mental health care, and post sexual assault care. Many teens feel that they cannot turn to the adults in their lives for help with these services and it’s important that teens know that they can come to us and we will help them.”