Los Angeles will soon be home to 50 new sexual health and wellness centers, to be called Wellbeing Centers, in high schools across the county. These centers are the result of a partnership between Planned Parenthood, the school district, and the LA County departments of public health and mental health. Students will be able to go to these centers to talk about depression, anxiety, stress management, substance abuse, reproductive health, and related issues. The goal? Getting resources to at-risk teenagers at public high schools who might not be able to access them otherwise.
“Empowering our teenagers is a priority. We must support the well-being of our youth so they can thrive at school and view their futures with optimism and hope,” LA County Supervisor Hilda Solis said in a statement.
In practice, this means that students will be able to pop in for appointments and then go right back to class. The teenagers won’t have to worry about transportation or unexcused absences from school. For teenagers who have responsibilities outside of school, like child care or a job, accessing care during a free class period can alleviate a lot of stress.
Most students in these areas are in low-income communities and have few local medical providers to choose from, even if they can access or afford appointments. Having access to tests for STIs or pregnancy right on campus could be a game-changer in the health care of the students. The centers will not provide abortions.
“It being on campus — there was no excuse not to go,” an anonymous high school senior told the Los Angeles Times.
Under California state law, minors can receive some medical care, including counseling and birth control, without parental consent. Health care providers also can’t notify parents without the minor’s consent. This can be especially important for students who might be victims of abuse at home, do not want to tell their parents or guardian that they are sexually active, or might not want to disclose surviving sexual violence.
"Teenagers are significantly more likely to use mental health and sexual and reproductive health services when they are located at their school," Esteban E. Torres principal Deborah Lowe told Los Angeles ABC affiliate KABC. The program will also train teenagers to be peer advocates for safe sex.
“I do anticipate, as this becomes public, we will have very normal and healthy debate around sexuality and schools and what it is to be engaged in family communication around a healthy adolescence,” Sue Dunlap, president of Planned Parenthood Los Angeles, told The Washington Post.
Right now, five of the Planned Parenthood centers are already open and began seeing students at the start of this academic year. The rest are expected to open within two years. Los Angeles County invested the initial $10 million into the program and Planned Parenthood invested $6 million. In total, the centers will serve an estimated 75,000 teenagers.
Barbara Ferrer, director of the Los Angeles County Department of Public Health, told the Post that the clinics are called wellbeing centers because, she said, “We want to support their general well-being, the ups and downs of being a teen.” The name also helps to reduce the stigma sometimes associated with seeking mental health or reproductive care.