Medical care, nutritional services and mental health counseling are just a few things the teen health center provides! The Garfield Teen Health Center (GTHC) is located on the first floor of Garfield to the left of the main office in room 102. The office hours are from 8:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m. Monday through Friday. The THC is operated by Seattle children’s staff and is sponsored by Odessa Brown Children’s Clinic, Seattle Public Schools and King County’s Public Health Department. The Health center provides lots of different services, ALL free to Garfield students due to the funding from the Cities of Seattle’s Families and Education levy. The THC is a safe space and judgment-free zone where teens can feel comfortable talking about personal issues. When many teens find topics like sexual or mental health awkward or taboo to talk about, extensive information is made accessible and free at the Teen Health Center. Upon entry, the office immediately feels very inviting. There are lots of signs, posters and brochures around the room available to students to learn about a variety of health-related issues, or seek out additional resources. The Center makes an obvious effort to feel less like your typical doctor’s office. Inside the front door there is even a little table of grab and go’s like period products and condoms.
The Health Center has four different providers on their staff, three nurse practitioners, a mental health counselor, and a nutritionist along with the clinic coordinator. All these different specialized staff make it very easy and accessible for students to get help with any care that they may need. Students must provide full parental consent in order to receive services such as vaccinations or injuries, but other services like contraceptives and STD treatment are confidential services between the THC and the student, thanks to a WA state law that states that youth may access reproductive health care anytime and at any age, without parent/guardian consent. Garfield’s Teen Health Center’s primary focus is to provide healthcare to students who do not have health insurance coverage or have not recently seen a primary care provider. Since the office is within the school building, students can come on a daily basis. The Teen Health Center makes sure that no student feels that they cannot access care.

Appointments can be made in person at the teen health center of by calling their office at 206-860-0680