Texas Youth-Friendly Initiative Clinic Spotlight
The Texas Campaign is leading the Texas Youth-Friendly Initiative (TYFI), a grant-funded project delivered in collaboration with community and national partners. The Adolescent Champion Model is an 18-month multifaceted intervention that addresses a health center’s environment, policies, and practices to ensure that all aspects of a visit to the health center are youth-centered. TYFI Project Director, J.R. Chester, interviewed Ashley Gonzalez McClure, Health Services Regional Director, from Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas, Tyler Health Center, one of the five clinics in TYFI Cohort 4. Ashley shared insight into their hardworking clinic.
Tell us about your organization/program and the amazing youth you serve.
The Tyler Planned Parenthood is part of the Planned Parenthood of Greater Texas affiliate. This affiliate services a vast portion of Texas including Dallas/Fort Worth, Waco, Austin, Lubbock, El Paso, Paris, and Tyler. The Tyler health center see patients of all ages, however most of our patients are youth and young adults. We provide necessary reproductive health care such as birth control consultations – methods such as LARC’s, and the pill – STI screenings and treatment, pap smears, pelvic exams, infection checks, breast exams, and HPV vaccines. In addition, this location provides services on a sliding fee scale. This enables us to reach many more individuals who are uninsured and need assistance.
What do you love most about providing medical care for young people?
We love the services we provide for our community. The education we provide around safe sex and reproductive health shapes the future of youth in the prevention of STI’s and unintended pregnancies.
Why did you choose to join the Texas Youth-Friendly Initiative (TYFI)?
Aside from one of our other locations participating a few years ago, we really wanted to learn how to serve our youth better. This will allow us to better serve our mission in providing care, no matter what.
What has been your favorite part of the TYFI so far?
Spark trainings and group discussion! Ultimately, we really love learning ways we can improve and grow.
How do you foresee the young people whom you serve benefiting from your participation in the TYFI?
We believe this will help us improve the way we educate and explain information to patients. It will also help us understand our patient’s needs more. By growing ourselves and our patients, this will have a positive outcome on our community and our everyday lives.
