SPOTLIGHT:

Dr. Johvonne Claybourne,
Advocate for Teen Reproductive Health

Hartford teens who need reproductive health services now have another resource, thanks to a new initiative creating a separate department of Adolescent Medicine at Community Health Services on Albany Avenue .

“Separating teen healthcare from the Pediatric Department allows us to focus on the unique needs of adolescents in an environment where they can get all the services they need in one place,” said Dr. Johvonne Claybourne, Director of Adolescent Medicine and a member of the Hartford Action Plan on Infant Health’s Board of Directors since 2006.

Dr. Claybourne is Board certified in Family Medicine and focuses on the adolescent population. She particularly enjoys the opportunity to have conversations with teens on such issues as self-esteem, being ok with your body, and staying engaged at school. She is concerned that teens without connections to enrichment programs or access to positive role models are often the most at risk when it comes to unplanned pregnancies or sexually-transmitted diseases. “Self-esteem is the best contraceptive,” she says.

Unfortunately, self-esteem seems to be in short supply. “I see girls 18-21 years old who are trying to get pregnant because they think it’s time to have a baby now,” she says. Often Dr. Claybourne will take the opportunity to try and get her patients to think this decision through before a pregnancy occurs: are they in a stable relationship? Have they completed their education? Can they manage the financial and emotional costs of having a child? Many of the teens have not considered the long-term impact of the actions they are taking now. In addition to medical and reproductive health care, Dr. Claybourne can also connect teens to other resources, such as teen parent support groups, WIC benefits and domestic violence prevention programs.

Dr. Claybourne is doing outreach to area organizations to let teens know about the new Adolescent Medicine Department and interest is high, she said. Currently they are open in the afternoon, which allows teens to come after school. The long-term goal is to have the department open all day, as well as evenings and Saturdays. Services include: general medical care, physicals, safe sex and abstinence counseling, pregnancy testing and options counseling, STD testing and treatment, pap smears, and birth control. All services are confidential, and teens have their own private waiting room area. Insurance is accepted and services are available on a sliding scale, including free of charge.

The Adolescent Medicine Department at Community Health Services is located at 500 Albany Avenue and is easily accessible by foot, car or bus. Standard, same-day and walk-in appointments are available. On-call service is available 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at (860) 249-9625.