What you need to know about us

Our Mission

The program's mission is to educate adolescents and adults on the consequences of teen sexual activity including the medical, social, economic, and legal impacts.

Program Background

In 1996, Dr. Patricia J. Sulak, an obstetrician/gynecologist at Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Clinic, recognized the lack of an organized sex education program in Central Texas schools. Wanting to make a difference, she began to work with the local school district and Scott & White to develop and design Scott & White Worth the Wait®, a sex education program that promotes abstinence as the healthiest choice for adolescents. In the last ten years, the Scott & White Worth the Wait® program has expanded greatly, now reaching over 100,000 students in more than 50 school districts in Texas and other states.

Awards

The program and its developers have been widely recognized for their efforts, receiving honors from the Texas State Board of Education (1999 Heroes for Children Award), the Texas Young Lawyers Association (2000 Community Services Award), the American Bar Association (2000 Community Services Award), and the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists (Community Service Award, May 2004).

About Scott & White

Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Clinic, which turned 100 years old in 1997, is a private, not-for-profit integrated healthcare delivery system with more than 515 physicians and scientists on staff. As the largest multi-specialty practice in the Southwest and one of the largest in the United States, it operates regional clinics throughout Central Texas. Scott & White is a top-rated health maintenance organization that serves more than 167,000 members and a 486-bed hospital. It is the teaching hospital for Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine.

Contact Information

Scott & White Worth the Wait®
2401 S. 31st Street
Temple, TX 76508
(254) 724-7359 phone
(254) 724-8865 fax

email: info@worththewait.org

The Scott & White Worth the Wait® team

Dr. Patricia Sulak psulak@swmail.sw.org

Patricia J. Sulak, M.D. is the director of the Scott & White Sex Education Program. Her responsibilities include overseeing curriculum content and conducting sex education seminars for parents, teachers, healthcare professionals and various civic and community organizations. On May 6, 1999, she was presented with the "Heroes for Children" award by the Texas State Board of Education. Dr. Sulak is a Professor at the Texas A&M Health Science Center College of Medicine, Temple, Texas and on staff in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology at Scott & White Memorial Hospital and Clinic. Dr. Sulak is board certified by the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology, a Fellow of the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists, and a Board Examiner for the American Board of Obstetrics and Gynecology. She received the "Distinguished Alumni" award in 2006 from her medical school, the University of Texas Health Science Center at San Antonio, School of Medicine.

Terry Buckley, B.S.N., R.N. tbuckley@swmail.sw.org

Terry Buckley is the Program Manager for the Scott& White Worth the Wait® program. She is responsible for expansion of the program as well as general office management. Terry earned her Bachelor of Science degree in nursing at the University of Texas Health Science Center, School of Nursing in San Antonio,TX.

Sandy Adair, B.S.

Sandy Adair is a retired teacher who previously taught the Scott & White Worth the Wait® curriculum in the Georgetown ISD. She is responsible for marketing and is available to display at conferences and to provide training on the use of Scott & White Worth the Wait® products in various venues (schools, community outreach, etc).

Thomas Kuehl, PhD tkuehl@swmail.sw.org

Thomas J. Kuehl, Ph.D. is a respected reproductive biologist and research scientist. At Scott & White, Dr. Kuehl currently serves as Director of Research in the Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology and Director of the Embryology Lab. He is also Chief for the Section of Andrology within the Department of Pathology. Dr. Kuehl is a Professor in three departments at the Texas A&M University Health Science Center College of Medicine — Obstetrics and Gynecology, Medical Biology and Medical Genetics, and Pathology and Laboratory Medicines. As a researcher he has conducted many studies and has published extensively. Dr. Kuehl obtained his education at Michigan State University where he earned a B.S. in Physiology, a M.S. in Reproductive Physiology, and a Ph.D. in Reproductive Physiology and Biochemistry. Dr. Kuehl is responsible for the analysis of the Scott & White Worth the Wait® research data gathered by the Program Specialists.

Barbara Schwarz Young, J.D. byoung@worththewait.org

Barbara Schwarz Young is responsible for the development of the legal component of the Worth the Wait® program. Barbara is Board Certified in Family Law by the Texas Board of Legal Specialization and maintains a general civil and criminal practice. She is currently serving as a director of the Texas Young Lawyers Association and is president of the Bell, Lampasas, and Mills Counties Bar Association. Barbara has worked as a research attorney for the Tenth Court of Appeals in Waco from 1989 to 1991 and was also an adjunct professor of law at Baylor University School of Law. Barbara and the legal slide kit received the Texas Young Lawyers' Association first prize and then the American Bar Association's first prize for community service. In 1997, she was honored as Bell County Young Lawyer of the Year. Barbara attended Tulane University in New Orleans and graduated from Baylor University School of Law in 1989.