In the Central West End of St. Louis is a one-stop drop-in center for teenagers and young adults, known as The SPOT – Supporting Positive Opportunities for and with Teens. Located at 4169 Laclede Avenue, the Spot appeared on the scene a little over a year ago to reduce the growing prevalence of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV/AIDS among youth ages 13 to 24, the age group in St. Louis that has had the highest rates of sexually transmitted diseases in the nation.
“When a young person comes in –we serve persons ages 13 to 24. That’s the only criteria so we don’t ask for insurance and we don’t even ask for their driver’s license or anything. We ask them how old they are and they can access our services. They fill out their name, date of birth and then what type of test they need,” Regina Whittington, MSW, program director at the SPOT, said.
Take a couple of steps past the small, bright office where clients sign in and there is a large room that is equipped and designed by and for young people. There are energizing neon green walls – one autographed by its clients as if it were the back page of a school yearbook. Modern chocolate brown sofas are practically at arms reach of a stainless steel frig and a kitchenette where kids can grab a snack. A flat panel TV connected to music, and a game box. If you’d prefer to check your email, update your online status, search for jobs or create a resume, a small bank of computers are nearby.
“Their top requests were to obtain testing for HIV or STDs and have mental health and counseling services available,” said Kim Donica, program Director of Project ARK (AIDS/HIV Resources and Knowledge).
Project ARK, the Adolescent Center in the Department of Pediatrics at Washington University, in collaboration with community partners, launched the SPOT. It is open from 1 – 5 p.m. as an after-school haven to chill out, socialize, talk out problems and to receive sexual, medical health care and social services.
“One of the things we added a few months ago was substance abuse.” Whittington said. The teens and young adults felt safe enough at The SPOT to say they want to change their behaviors relating to alcohol, drugs and smoking.
“Our youth here are amazingly honest. They come in, and they are like, ‘Yeah, I go in the bars and I know that I’m using alcohol more than I should,’ or ‘I really want to quit smoking,’ or ‘I’m not smoking cigarettes – I’m smoking pot.’ We put it out there and they are very receptive to hear what services we have,” Whittington said.
We don’t anticipate that a young person is going to walk in the door, identify all of their problems, then, ‘Okay, I need to get help.’ They come in, get comfortable, get to know our staff. It’s usually, one, two, maybe five conversations later. They keep coming back and they’ll say, ‘I need to talk to Amy,’ who is our substance abuse counselor.’”
The casual, unstructured non-threatening atmosphere allows people to open up about what may be bothering them and to remove barriers to receiving the health treatment they need. Developers of the SPOT were hoping to reach 500 youngsters in the first year of operation – they more than multiplied that figure by three.
“Through the end of August, we saw over 1700 unduplicated young people,” Whittington said. “We used a model through Chicago ? Howard Brown Health Center – it’s called the Broadway Youth Center (University of Illinois at Chicago), our projections actually came from what they saw the first year of operation. It just demonstrates that in St. Louis, we really need this comprehensive, quality access to health care and social services.”
In the rear of the building are physician treatment rooms, and offices for staff and counseling. Washington University School of Medicine physicians and staff provide services.
There is also a shower, lockers and laundry facilities the clients may use if they find themselves homeless, in transition or who want to freshen up.
“We average 30, 32 young people a day that come through our doors. If they don’t want anything, that’s cool. But we want to make sure that we have asked and we want to make sure they know what we have to offer here,” Whittington said.
The St. Louis Health Department announced that Centers for Disease Control data indicates the rates of sexually transmitted diseases are going down, attributing it to a combination of public and community collaboration for increased education, testing and treatment. St. Louis dropped from the No. 1 city for STDs ? down to No. 2. Changing behaviors can be difficult. The SPOT is doing it one person at a time.
“This is a huge public-health epidemic that we have to address,” said Dr. Katie Plax, medical director for the SPOT. “Leaving it unchecked means the rates of sexually transmitted diseases and HIV will continue to rise. With cuts to Medicaid and the economy getting worse, it’s not surprising that this epidemic is getting worse and young people have fewer places to turn.”
“We are excited to get the message to teens that this is a safe space to received medical care with no strings attached,” Whittington said. “We hope to provide a place that will establish regular health care for these teens as they transition into young adults.”
Ashley is a young adult in St. Louis County who has a job and a place to stay, but no health insurance. An older sibling told her about the SPOT. She is planning a visit to see a doctor.
“They specialize in health care that I am looking for and it’s free – my kind of price,” Ashley said. “I like the fact that it is for young people and that it’s not just for birth control.”
One major barrier for young people is transportation. Whittington said SPOT clients could really use bus tickets to travel by bus/or MetroLink to receive health care, to go on interviews or to get back and forth from work and keep a viable job.
By helping young people fill in the gaps in their lives, Whittington said it’s amazing what happens.
“When we turned 18, we didn’t magically know everything … the reality is, they may not know. They may not know how to get linked to a primary care doctor… what kind of jobs will actually sustain them over time and will lead to a career … how to navigate the Social Security system,” Whittington said. “We have people here designed to help them navigate that world.”
The SPOT relies on a several community partnerships for clients and services, including Youth in Need, Epworth Children & Family Services, Planned Parenthood/St. Louis Region, St. Louis Area National Council on Alcoholism and Drug Abuse, St. Louis Agency on Training and Employment and local health departments.
For more information on the SPOT, go to http://thespot.wustl.edu or call 314-535-0413.
