Teen birth rates are down dramatically and Colorado’s declines are among the highest in the nation.
The Centers for Disease Control reports births among Hispanic and black teens have dropped by nearly half since a decade ago.
Colorado ranks among the states with the biggest drops, with about 57 percent fewer births among Hispanic females age 15 to 19. Black teens in the state saw a 55 percent decline since 2006.
The CDC credits better funding for community-wide initiatives, improved education and teen pregnancy prevention programs with helping lead to the drops nationally.
In Colorado, health officials credit the state's steeper decline to a program that provides free long-acting contraception, like IUDs, to low-income women and girls.
After a funding fight last year, lawmakers approved $2.5 million this year for the program to continue.
