Clinic Provides A Place Of Their Own
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Dr. Judith Burgis reviews a "Tool Kit for Teen Care" information sheet at the clinic with patient Kristen Hogan.

Frankly, a trip to the doctor’s office isn’t the most popular way for any teenage girl to spend her time. Add to that the potential apprehension about a gynecology appointment and undergoing the most personal of physical exams.

Yet young women in the Midlands have found a haven when it comes to gynecological and obstetrical care. The Palmetto Health Women’s Center Teen Clinic is just as its name implies – a health clinic that’s geared to the specific needs of adolescents.

Patients’ needs are addressed before they even arrive. Appointments are conveniently scheduled two afternoons a week between 3:00 and 6:00 p.m. “It’s designed to be after school or when the majority of the school day is over,” said Dr. Judith Burgis, a clinical assistant professor of obstetrics and gynecology, who provides medical care at the clinic along with Department Chair, Dr. Janice Bacon, and a nurse practitioner.

For over 15 years, teens have sought services at the clinic for routine and complex gynecological problems and obstetrical care. “I think our patients have a certain comfort level here, in seeing that the other patients are a similar age and that the clinic is providing services specifically to them,” said Dr. Burgis.

All patients find that education is given a strong emphasis. “Depending on exactly why they came to the clinic, we try to talk to almost all of our patients about issues related to sexuality, sexual activity and contraception so we can help prevent an unintended pregnancy,” Dr. Burgis said. Patients are also provided with a wealth of information on other health care issues that are relevant during the teen years, including problems with menstrual periods, exercise and date rape. A series of information sheets created by the American College of Obstetricians and Gynecologists called “Tool Kit For Teen Care” is used to supplement the one-on-one instruction patients receive from clinic staff.

Registered nurse Kim Humphries has worked at the clinic for the past three years. “We talk about abstinence, but being a realty-focused person, I know we also have to address protection against sexually transmitted diseases and pregnancy,” she said. Dr. Burgis adds that prevention of an additional pregnancy is particularly important when working with a teenage obstetrical patient. “Since they are at higher risk of having a second unplanned pregnancy, we talk to them about making plans for contraception once their baby is born,” she said.

For a young women in her teens, pregnancy can be an overwhelming experience. “A teenager may not have as good a social support system as someone with a planned pregnancy,” said Dr. Burgis. Encompassing nurses and social workers who specialize in adolescents, the clinic staff works with patients on everything from breast-feeding to the role of the teenage father to preparing for the arrival of a baby. “Do they have a crib? Do they have clothing? We have social workers who spend a lot of time with these girls on their readiness so they don’t come home with a baby and have nothing prepared,” Humphries said.

Communication is a major priority, yet not just between the clinic staff and their obstetric and gynecology patients. Humphries emphasizes the importance of ongoing communication between adolescents and their parents and their partners, where applicable. “I am the parent of a teenage girl. My concern is that parents need to stay open and talk with their daughters. Yet that’s not always easy and not always the case,” said Humphries.

In fact, Humphries notes that teens often feel comfortable asking difficult questions at the clinic that they hesitate to ask their parents. “My hope is that they are learning here,” Humphries said. “If I can get through to just one of them about STDs and one girl can avoid that agony, then we’ve accomplished something,” she said.

Reprinted from Connections newsletter, March 2004

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