TAG in Action: Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center

As part of its national call to action, Adolescent Health: Think, Act, Grow® (TAG), the Office 

of Adolescent Health in the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services has identified a 

number of successful strategies for improving adolescent health throughout the country.

The Goal Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center (MSAHC) provides high quality, comprehensive, and 

inter-disciplinary health and wellness services focused solely on the unique needs of

adolescents and young adults.

The Game 

Plan 

Established in 1968, the Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center is one of the largest 

standalone centers of its kind in the United States. MSAHC supports underserved and at-risk 

young people between 10 and 24 years old. Ninety-eight percent of clients are from lowincome families and 70 percent have no insurance. Regardless of their ability to pay, 

however, MSAHC provides young people access to a wide range of targeted services, 

including medical, sexual and reproductive health care, dental, optical, behavioral and 

mental health service as well as nutrition, fitness, and wellness programs. Services are free 

and confidential. MSAHC also serves as a leading center of specialized training and innovative 

research in adolescent and young adult health.

At an average annual cost of only $1,000 per client, MSAHC supports approximately 10,000 

patients a year. MSAHC keeps costs down by keeping administrative costs low, which allows 

them to put the majority of their funding into direct services. MSAHC increases retention by 

recruiting staff who love working with youth and who are deeply committed to providing 

teen-friendly and developmentally appropriate services. To meet the continued demand for 

services, MSAHC plans to expand its capacity over the next 5 years to serve 15,000 

adolescents and young adults.

MSAHC’s model has been considered a leader in the field of adolescent health for many 

years. Recently, the New York State Health Foundation created a blueprint that encourages 

health care providers and policy makers to adapt or replicate MSAHC’s method of providing 

services to adolescents and young adults. The blueprint includes guidelines to help providers 

implement key parts of the model or phase it in over time, tailoring it to their needs and 

capabilities.

The 

Winning 

Plays 

Dr. Angela Diaz, the Center’s director for more than 25 years, shared that MSAHC focuses on 

being a safe and welcoming place for every young person. Diaz explained, “We see every 

young person as full of promise rather than full of risk. There are no judgments, no stigmas at 

our Center. Each young person is treated with compassion and respect. And then, within that 

context, we provide them with everything they need to be healthy. We remove all the 

barriers and we let them take the lead. And, even with our long history, we continue to learn 

from the young people each and every day.”

Learn 

More 

Mount Sinai Adolescent Health Center

http://www.teenhealthcare.org

HHS Office of Adolescent Health | Website: http://www.hhs.gov/ash/oah/TAG Twitter: @TeenHealthGov Email: TAGTEAM@hhs.gov