Youth Friendly Care Network Participants

Doctor making a heart with hands

How do I know if a provider, practice, clinic, or organization is youth-friendly?

Not all health care is the same. Youth-friendly providers make it easier for young people to get care that feels safe, respectful, and relevant. Check out our tips for what to check for, a cool video from amaze.org, and a list of youth-friendly providers in Washington.

Care is easy to access

A youth-friendly provider makes it easier to get the care you need:

  • Clinic hours before or after school or on weekends.
  • Offer telehealth, phone visits, mobile health, school-based health, or pop-up clinics.
  • Services are free or low cost. They help you find financial support or explore health insurance options.
  • Help address challenges like transportation or costs for tests and medication.
  • Help with set up specialist appointments and other referrals, make sure your medical records get where they need to go, and support you when you transition to adult health care.
  • Confidential services — like mental health treatment, substance use disorder treatment, STI testing and treatment, or abortion services — are available on site, or they help get you connected through a referral.
Spaces are welcoming and warm

A youth-friendly provider creates spaces, in person and online, where young people feel comfortable and included: 

  • The waiting room is calm, quiet, and comfortable, with seating, charging stations, Wi-Fi, and private spaces for filling out paperwork or screenings.
  • Posters and brochures on topics young people want to know about, or other resources.
  • Signs show how to get to waiting areas, exam rooms, restrooms, and exits.
  • Spaces are accessible to people of all abilities.
  • Anti-racist messaging, pride flags, and other visuals show people from all backgrounds and with all identities are welcome.
  • Their website is easy to navigate. It lists hours, youth services, how to prepare for and what to expect from visits, how to get medical records, financial support options, and links to high quality resources.
  • Their website highlights the knowledge, backgrounds, and skills of their youth-serving providers and professionals and clearly shows they are inclusive to people from all backgrounds and with all identities.
Providers and staff are respectful and compassionate

At a youth-friendly provider, staff and providers communicate clearly and with compassion and make sure you feel safe and heard:

  • Staff are welcoming and warm. They answer questions clearly, provide relevant information, and do not rush you.
  • Appointment times are long enough to address all your health care needs.
  • Providers prioritize your experience and feelings of safety.
  • They use your pronouns and name.
  • You are involved in your own care. Your questions and concerns are validated and answered; you help make decisions about treatment, and providers respond to your concerns as you describe them.
  • Providers are aware of their own biases and work to make sure those biases don’t affect your care.
  • Providers talk directly to you. They ask you what you think, explain what will happen before it happens, and ask your permission before any exam or physical contact.
  • Providers give you one-on-one time so you can ask or answer sensitive health questions privately and without embarrassment.
Your health care rights are protected

At a youth-friendly clinic your privacy is important and respected:  

  • Providers and staff know consent and confidentiality laws for treating minors. They can explain your health care rights to you and your parents or guardians.
  • There are private spaces for confidential conversations and care.
  • You can access your own medical information and records.
  • You decide who comes to your appointments and when, and who has access to your medical records.
  • Providers involve your parents, guardian, or trusted adult in a way that works for you. They support your health while also protecting your privacy.
  • Information and documents are easy to understand and are based on facts.
  • They have a confidentiality policy that clearly states how they protect young people’s confidentiality and health care rights. It is available online and in print.  
Care is rooted in what works for youth

A youth-friendly provider is responsive to young people’s needs and what works for them. Here’s what that can be: 

  • Providers ask young people what they need through surveys, listening sessions, or advisory boards.
  • Providers and staff participate in initiatives that help them better serve youth, like the Youth Friendly Care Network, the Adolescent Health Initiative, or self-assessments.
  • Providers are members of or recognized by leading organizations in adolescent health, like the American Academy of Pediatrics, or the Adolescent Health Initiative.

Find a youth-friendly provider, clinic, or organization

Participants in the Youth Friendly Care Network are committed to youth-friendly care in their medical or behavioral health clinic, practice, organization, or agency. Search our map below to find a participant near you.

Want to know more?

Teen Health Hub WA has trustworthy and compassionate information on topics that matter to you, including your health care rights and how to schedule a doctor’s appointment.