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Updated: May 3, 2021
By Eleni Pacheco
“Perfect sex education looks a lot like Healthy Futures of Texas,” says Moss Hampton, OBGYN and treasurer on the Healthy Futures Board of Directors. It was just a year ago that Hampton decided to join the Board, inspired by the Healthy Futures sex education program, Big Decisions, and the effort put into expanding its reach across the state. As a doctor of obstetrics and gynecology, Hampton has seen firsthand what he calls the “sometimes devastating effects of teen pregnancy on the lives of teen parents,” citing that many of his patients struggled with the unique challenges of young parenthood. “I knew there had to be a better way to take care of these folks.”
As a young person, Moss was moved by his father, a family physician, to work with pregnant people and help deliver babies. “Back then, family physicians used to do it all,” he recalled. “My dad always told me that delivering babies was most rewarding.” Moss, indeed, found this to be true. He enjoyed helping people feel comfortable and confident in their bodies while working to keep them healthy, noting that this practice connected him to the community. “You see the fruits of your labor,” he said, explaining that these were the factors that motivated him to serve as a leader in sexual health.
Hampton met Dr. Janet Realini, Healthy Futures Founder, and Healthy Futures President Evelyn Delgado through his involvement with the American College of Obstetrics and Gynecology (ACOG) and the Texas Medical Association, where he’s spent years honing his skills as a sexual health advocate. “It felt natural to become involved with Healthy Futures . . . and to step into the treasurer position. I live by the philosophy of when people need help, you help them,” he said, adding to his belief that sex education has the potential to support multiple facets of life including relationships, education, workforce readiness, and housing issues. “It all came together and made me interested in joining local and national efforts. I like working on problems with talented people.”
“The leadership structure of Healthy Futures has been phenomenal,” he remarked, mentioning that many of the ideas that come to the Board are so well-thought-out that it makes it easy to serve and stay dedicated to the programs. Hampton appreciates that Healthy Futures factors social determinants of health into the way we plan and implement programming. “Our next big challenge is expanding Healthy Futures beyond San Antonio to a statewide level. We are working on getting these programs to areas that really need them,” he said, adding that he feels excited about our recent work with the Texas Campaign to Prevent Teen Pregnancy and State Board of Education advocacy. “We all seem to be coming together to make a political push and we have a lot of momentum.”
As the new treasurer of the Healthy Futures Board, Moss Hampton is committed to sustaining that momentum by maintaining and connecting to new funding sources. “The stars are aligning,” he believes. “We are growing and working well with our partners . . . gaining traction and power,” which will help to ensure funders will feel good about our work and align with our mission. Even in uncertain times, Hampton feels optimistic that Texas can unite over sexual and reproductive health.
Learn more about the rest of our Board here, and our Big Decisions program here.
Eleni Pacheco, San Antonio Project Coordinator, discovered their passion for culture and sexuality while studying anthropology at UTSA. They chose to work in sex ed with the mission of creating world peace through shared power and community efficacy. Outside of education, Eleni shows love by feeding their friends (often experimenting on them with new recipes) and bonding over backyard karaoke.