It’s Complicated…but Necessary! Navigating Confidential Sexual Healthcare for Adolescents

“Nobody goes into adolescent medicine or into a field of medicine that serves adolescent patients because it’s simple and straightforward, right?”

In May 2024, the New York State Department of Health AIDS Institute Clinical Guidelines Program published an update to the guidelines, “Guidance: Adolescent Consent to HIV and STI Treatment and Prevention.” These guidelines serve to inform New York State clinicians who provide primary care to adolescents about existing regulations that allow minors to consent for and receive confidential HIV and STI screening, treatment, and prevention.

In this episode, Dr. Erica Bostick chats with Dr. Uri Belkind, Associate Medical Director for Adolescent Medicine and Clinical Director of the Health Outreach to Teens (HOTT) program at Callen-Lorde Community Health Center in New York City, and original lead author of these guidelines. Drs. Bostick and Belkind discuss the intricacies of providing confidential HIV and STI care to adolescents, perspectives on how to navigate sexual health conversations with patients and a trusted adult, resources on confidential adolescent healthcare for general providers, and more! Related Content: 

• Guidance: Adolescent Consent to HIV and STI Treatment and Prevention: https://www.hivguidelines.org/guideline/adolescent-consent/?mycollection=hiv-treatment  
• NYCLU – Teenagers, Health Care, and the Law: https://www.nyclu.org/uploads/2018/10/thl.pdf  
• Guidance for Local Health Departments (LHD) and Health Care Providers on STI Billing and Minor's Consent to Prevention Services and. HIV-related Services: https://www.health.ny.gov/diseases/communicable/std/docs/faq_billing_consent.pdf 
• “Effect of Mandatory Parental Notification on Adolescent Girls' Use of Sexual Health Care Services” - https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama/fullarticle/195185  
• CEI toll free line for NYS providers: 866-637-2342
• https://ceitraining.org/