A youthful take on community-based healthcare

Abstract

Youth are at a unique developmental stage, presenting with experiences and needs that can be challenging to address through traditional medical models. Youth health clinics (YHCs) have taken varying approaches to solving this problem; however, there is a paucity of research on adolescents’ perspectives of these clinics. We conducted four focus groups to ask high school students how YHCs could better serve them. Participants identifiedfive essential elements for YHCs. They requested accessibility, reliability, and confidentiality, desiring private access with trusted healthcare professionals that was simple to access. They also emphasized the importance of a range of point-of-care services and proactive advertising of YHC services. Finally, youth prioritized mental health services that were both longitudinal and equipped for crises. Overall, our cohort of youth felt that YHCs could fill an important gap in meeting their healthcare needs.