It provides youth-centric care, bringing health care to the young person instead of the other way around. We are pretty low-key and work on building a relationship with these young people, meeting them where they are. These adolescents have not had healthy relationships with adults, so you must spend time building trust. It s a cumulative process. I work as a family nurse practitioner and also in a research capacity with homeless adolescent women who experience barriers to health care.
Adolescent females are the most hidden of all people on the streets and the most difficult to reach.
My research provides feedback to the clinic. I m also involved, along with one of my nurse practitioner students, in doing an evaluation of the MedRest program. MedRest is a 4-bed medical respite shelter that opened in September of 99 and is jointly operated by the School of Nursing and the School of Social Work here at the UW as well as by YouthCare, the 45th Street Clinic and the Seattle King County Department of Health. It is the first program of its kind in the country for homeless adolescents. Since it opened in September, we have helped nine patients.