Celebrating five years of success in providing confidential and free medical, emotional and behavioral support to St. Louis area youth, The SPOT – Supporting Positive Opportunities with Teens, recently received a contract from the St. Louis Health Department as a sexual health screening/and treatment provider for youth in the community.
The SPOT is an offshoot of Washington University’s Project ARK, which provides comprehensive services to enhance the lives of children, youth, women and families affected by and at risk of HIV/AIDS.
Since it opened in September of 2008, the SPOT has grown to reach more than 8,500 clients who range in age from 13 to 24. Last year, more than 2,700 young people visited their SPOT. Usually, there is a steady stream of visitors, some for health services, some for reproductive, mental health or substance abuse counseling and others to just hang out in the afternoons from 1 p.m. – 5 p.m. Monday – Friday at 4169 Laclede Avenue.
“About half of the youth come from St. Louis City and about half the youth come from St. Louis County, said Katie Plax, MD, medical director at The SPOT. “We’ve kept all of our services free of charge, because it’s important to us. We really reduce the barriers for youth to come through the door.”
Plax said The SPOT is completely grant-funded.
“We’ve also received support from Washington University and BJC,” Plax added. “Every dollar we raise, we use here, and we have to raise the dollars we use in order to provide the services for free.”
Last year, The SPOT reports 2,451 youth received sexually transmitted infection (STI) screening for chlamydia, gonorrhea, syphilis and HIV, reproductive health care and pregnancy tests. In most cases, those who tested positive were treated and referred for additional care when warranted.
Last year, 264 youth benefitted case management services from The SPOT while 222 youth received mental health services. The SPOT has physicians, psychiatrists, nurses, social workers, case managers and peer educators among its staff.
Jamieko Rich, now age 22, has been a client at The SPOT for six years.
“I was homeless at the time and living at Covenant House on Kingshighway. A transsexual friend of mine put me on to it, said they had just opened up and I’ve been going to it ever since,” Rich said. “This place is great.”
He said The SPOT has changed his life for the better.
“Even when I started getting into trouble or catching cases or being retarded or whatever, when I say they had my back, they had my back. They appeared to the at court for me; I got legal advice, they spoke on my behalf in front of the judge and lots more,” Rich said. “I’ve learned job skills, everything you can think of to help anybody out, that place does it – I kid you not. From the testing to everything – I love it.”
Even after he ages out in a couple of years, Rich feels confident he will stay in the right direction.
“It’s going to help me a lot,” Rich said. “My attitude has calmed down due to the therapist I’ve talked to there and the psych doc. When I’m 24, I feel like I have all the tools I should have had coming up as a child.”
Two-year client Samantha White won a youth award from The SPOT a few months ago. She found out about The SPOT when she was pregnant and homeless.
“Even when I was homeless, they helped me out tremendously. I could come and shower and wash clothes,” White said. “I was upstairs in a program for girls. We were able to sit around and talk about various things. I was able to come, relax and take my mind off what I was going through.”
Through the SPOT, White found out about housing assistance at Epworth Children & Family Services.
“I was able to enroll myself into the independent living program at Epworth,” she said. “If I had not contacted The SPOT, I never would have found out about that. I was put on a waiting list and three months later, I was moved into my own apartment.”
White said she is going great now and her son is 18 months old.
“I have friends with different sexualities – gay, straight or whatever, and they feel comfortable and above all, they feel welcomed,” she added. “I feel nothing but love when you walk in the door … and you can get whatever is bothering you off your chest.”
Because of The SPOT’s success, it has become a model for a similar youth program in East St. Louis. Illinois.
“Kaleidoscope is a youth center that Illinois is looking to expand and grow in East St. Louis through a federal funding initiative,” Plax said. “We’re going to provide consulting services, basically help them not recreate the wheel and use a model that’s really served thousands of youth in a community that needed it and transfer that kind of knowledge and resources to Kaleidoscope in East St. Louis.”
For more information about The SPOT, call 314-535-0413 or visit http://thespot.wustl.edu.
