SON Home | UW Home | MyUW | UW Bothell | UW Tacoma | HealthLinks | Contact the School | Search SON | Internal Headlines | Briefly | From the Deans Desk | Report to Contributors Nursing Connects with Teens in School-Based Clinic by Mary Boone From acne to birth control, seeking medical care can be an intimidating experience for adolescents. Thanks to its location within Seattle's Nathan Hale High School, Nathan Hale Summit Teen Health Center is filling the health care gap for many area teenagers. In operation since 1994, it provides free, confidential care to students. Top reasons for health visits include contraceptive care, sports physicals and TB screening. "A school nurse is swamped with basic triage and safety issues, but we can be one of the places she refers students to for additional care," says Michele Acker, pediatric nurse practitioner, one of the clinic's staff members and a lecturer in the School of Nursing. Lecturer and pediatric nurse practitioner Janet Cady also works in the clinic. She says many teens are reluctant to seek care from regular providers because they don't have or don't understand insurance, they don't know what care is available, or their regular provider hasn't taken the time to talk with them. "It takes a while to find out what some of these kids really need or want because they don't know how to tell you what their problem is," says Cady. "Even though we're busy, we have the advantage of being able to sit down and really listen to the kids." At the end of last school year, 63 percent of Nathan Hale students were enrolled in the clinic. Enrollment for general care requires parental/guardian consent. Confidential services for students 14 and older do not require parental consent. Acker and Cady say clinic staff hope student enrollment in the clinic will continue to grow. Additionally, they plan to enhance care services, to involve clinic participants in a number of health studies, and to expand opportunities for UW nursing students to receive training at the clinic. The clinic is operated by the UW School of Nursing, UW Medical Center and UW Adolescent Medicine Program. Return to Headlines Headlines | Briefly | From the Deans Desk | Report to Contributors   Copyright © 2008 University of Washington 1959 NE Pacific Street, Seattle, Washington 98195