Wed, 02 Sep 2009 18:22:00
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| Article by:
Margaret Bacon
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By Margaret Bacon
Teens often feel that adults
don’t listen to them.
However, at the 3rd Street Youth
Center & Clinic, youth are not
only listened to...they are heard.
“Actually, it was really the
youth that came up with the
idea to have all this,” said Nicole
Thomas, clinic coordinator and
medical assistant for the cen-
ter, which provides free services
to youth from 12 to 24. “We
basically went off of what they
wanted and what they felt they
needed in the neighborhood.”
A survey among youth in
Bayview Hunter’s Point revealed
a desire for a safe place for kids
to hang out, as well as confiden-
tial health services, specific to
their needs. Thomas’ own teen-
age daughter was on the plan-
ning committee for the site and
brought her mother, a nurse, on
board.
Fundraising began and the
youth center opened in the sum-
mer of 2005. By September of
that year, the clinic was up and
running. Currently the center
features an activities room with
games and computers, a full
kitchen and a garden where fresh
fruit and vegetables are grown.
The clinic includes a waiting
room, an HIV testing room, a tri-
age room, two treatment rooms
and a lab. The counseling center
has its own separate entrance to
insure confidentiality.
Thomas said that while the
youth center was a hit from
the beginning, the response to
the clinic was slow. Originally
called “The Bayview Healing Arts
Center,” Thomas said that the
Thomas explained. “So, they
won’t have to go somewhere else
for their baby care. Basically we
want to keep them together.”
While the youth center
was always open five days a
weeks, the clinic was originally
open only two days a week.
Responding to the need for more
services, the clinic increased their
hours to three then four days a
week. Just this August, the clinic
began offering services five days
a week.
With three doctors on staff
and two medical assistants, 3rd
Street is a full-service clinic offer-
ing free, confidential services
from rapid HIV testing and coun-
seling to pelvic exams and birth
control. In addition to mental
health counseling, the clinical
staff attends to minor ailments,
prescribes medication when nec-
essary and provides referrals to
specialists. Some medication is
available at the clinic and free
condoms are provided. Thomas
noted that they’ve even had
patients with gunshot wounds
come to them for their follow
up visits.
“You can drop in for basi-
cally anything,” Thomas said.
“It’s just that the physicals take
a little longer, so I ask that they
do make an appointment for
physicals, but if they don’t, I still
see them,” she explained with a
smile.
Parental consent is needed
for physical exams and insur-
ance is required. Thomas assures
her patients that she will set
them up for insurance should
they need it. This applies partic-
ularly to youth who, after 18, are
no longer covered under their
parents’ insurance.
Privacy and confidentiality
also is assured and patient rights
are listed in the treatment room.
No adults are allowed in the
clinic and all visits are kept per-
sonal and private. Students may
even obtain a doctor’s excuse
should they have to miss class
to visit the clinic. In addition to
providing kids with a safe place
talk about their health concerns,
Thomas said that in encouraging
youth to be responsible for their
wellbeing, they teach them to be
independent.
“The kids like it because they
feel they have a little control over
what’s going on,” she adds. And,
Thomas has seen it all, including
kids on drugs for whom they’ve
needed to call an ambulance.
“I’ve had someone come in
before that was high and said
she wanted to quit. I had her
here all day. I had her lay in a
room, fed her, kept her com-
pany, everything.”
Often where there are kids,
there’s conflict, but Thomas said
they’ve never had a fight on the
premises. She’ll intervene even
before an arguments starts, but
she feels altercations don’t occur
simply because the youth respect
the space as their own.
Education is a big compo-
nent of the center and posters
on everything from anatomy to
interactive flip charts on STDs
cover the walls. In addition to
staff being freely available for
talks, flyers on every health sub-
ject are readily available.
“We go on a first name basis
here,” said Thomas. “With kids
if you remember them, they’re
more likely to return.” And they
do return. Thomas said she has
youth who come back to visit
from college, especially since the
center continues to serve them
as young adults.
The clinic currently sees more
than 1,000 youth, many who are
returning patients. Though 80
percent of the youth who visit
the center are African American,
the center also services Hispanic,
White, Pacific Islander and Asian
youth. Many teens come from
Bay View Hunter’s Point, but
Thomas also sees youth from
many other neighborhoods in
the city and as far away as Daly
City and Berkeley.
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