Sexual Health Services (SHS) Preventive services can have a significant impact on an adolescent’s immediate and life-long trajectory of health by reducing risk behavior and preventing negative sexual health outcomes like unintended pregnancy, STDs, and HIV. Despite a number of national guidelines and recommendations for routine provision of SHS for adolescents, many young people do not have preventive care visits. Even among those who do, missed opportunities for SHS are common.
Beginning in 2013, through the provision of a grant from the Centers for Disease Control Division of Adolescent School Health (CDC-DASH), Duval County Public School, in partnership with the Department of Health - Duval, developed Teen Health Centers to focus on three key areas addressing high-risk behaviors: Sexual Health Services, Sexual Health Education, and Safe & Supportive Environments. Funding ensures that additional and targeted resources are provided for health educators to deliver instruction from an evidence-based curriculum regarding the risks of HIV/STD transmission. Florida Department of Health - Duval County (FLDOH-D) can provide critical sexual health services in locations where these services are not readily accessible. Furthermore, grant partners collaborate with schools, families, and community organizations to create safe and supportive environments for all emerging adults.
From the program's inception in 2013, FLDOH-D has now expanded to 12 Teen Health Centers and a mobile unit to service our students and schools. The centers at Riverside High School and Westside High School reside in the school clinic; the remaining centers are housed in collaboration with Full-Service Schools Jacksonville (FSSJ). For additional information about the Teen Health Centers, please contact the district Health & Physical Education office, Dr. Tiffany Wells, at (904)390-2469.
SHYP (Safe and Healthy Youth Partners) consists of Duval County Public Schools (DCPS), Full-Service Schools Jacksonville (FSSJ), Florida Department of Health - Duval County (FLDOH-D), UF Health and the University of North Florida - College of Health (UNF). The partnership's mission is to reduce the number of young adults engaging in high-risk behaviors, creating an increased threat of contracting HIV and other STDs. The FL DOH-Duval Disease Control Program has secured resources due to the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) 1807 funding to provide testing and treatment at the Teen Health Centers. If you are interested in attending a meeting or presenting for collaboration, please contact us at teenhealthcenters@duvalschools.org.
If you are a school social worker, school counselor, or other school-based staff member and would like to refer a student for teen health center services provided by the Department of Health - Duval, with the student's permission, complete this form and email to Email Teen Health Centers All services are provided through the Department of Health (DOH) and are FREE + CONFIDENTIAL. Each DOH/DCPS Teen Health Center is open to ages 13-19, and are available during lunch and after school at various locations listed below.
These DOH-Duval Clinics offer the following services:
Free screening for STDs (Chlamydia, Gonorrhea, Syphilis) and HIV
Education about STD/HIV prevention and the testing process
Instructions about follow-up for test results
Treatment and additional counseling for students who test positive
Peer-to-Peer program to educate teens about healthy and safe relationships
A supportive environment for all teens, including sexual minorities