European Stars And Stripes (Newspaper) - January 21, 1986, Darmstadt, Hesse I needs certain conditions must be met before confidentiality is granted. In army facilities the teen must be at least 15. He also must seek treatment in a program Hal promises confidentiality and request a confidential treatment record. Army children younger Han 15 also can is Sean at teen clinics but doctors do not Promise confidentiality procedures vary but some clinics distribute a form to the younger teens at ins beginning of tha school year Risling available treatment and services. Parents Check yes or no on each Kem and the Lor m is kept on Lile. Yet even if parents give permission foe All types of care Lor their children under 15. Treatment generally is recorded in the youth s regular medical lie and parents May sea that on request. Air Force la Clutier May give Conli Dellal treatment of Leens younger than 15 because their regulations do nol list specific Ages for Many types of treatment but doctors consider a child s maturity level before providing care without parental knowledge said or. It. Col Jacqueline Morgan chief of the clinical Medicine division for the Safe command surgeon. The Navy does nol operate similar Gan clinics. Although a screening clinic offering limited care is located in Naples. All Navy doctors generally try to get parental permission before providing care to teens. Exceptions can be made if a youth is determined by doctors to be a mature minor who understands the treatment he or she will receive. M age 18. Teens Era considered adults and can make All decisions about their medical care. Confidentiality is dearly loved by teens. Even if they never have had reason to ask for private treatment they like thai it is available. I think it is Good said a 16-year-old Junior at Hanau High school about her Community s teen of Lilc. It s none of anyone else s business. It should t be Lor everyone else to know Why you re coming yet confidentiality is Only one drawing card. Teens also appreciate convenience the idea of More personalized care and the Opportunity to be treated As a Young adult. " you Don always want to go 1o a clinic with your parents said a 17-year-old Junior at Hanau High school. You want to feel grown "11 is convenient said a 1 5-year-ow Sophomore at Frankfurt High school. You can talk to the people Here. Ii is comfortable. They Are on your Tevel. They Don t use at these terms and the program also has stirred controversy among some parents who oppose confidentiality especially for birth control. There is a group of parents who feel everything that happens d their child should be known to them Lopicc Owsald. You re never going to get around thut there always will be controversy this is a Tricky Issue because you Are talking about fundamental ideas said or. David Smith physician at the Hanau teen clinic. Do kids Tiave any rights or Are they properly Are parents always the ones who should make the decision i doctors Lear some teens will not gel needed medical help if they think heir parents will a told everything. They won t coma if it is not confidential not the ones who need it. Smith said in some cases the Leen s problem is the Parent and Lay come to a clinic with emotional rather of an physical complaints. The whole Issue is that if these holds have to be brought in by parents they Aren t Gonna come said or. Peter Cole one of two paediatricians at the youth clinic at Raf upper Heyword. Most of the problems involve the parents became of on the Issue clinic officials keep a Low profile about confidential services. We Don t publicize kids can come Here without parents consent but we Don t hide it Dennison said. We re not trying to subvert the parents authority parter said Wes Lumpsy have available what is available in every state. As a Basic right yet clinic officials report Lew parents have confronted them about information in confidential records doctors. Also said they generally have been successful in 1 overcoming parents objections. It s about a once a year Shing Smith said. A Parent will come in irate and want information. Asol yes.19b6 Frankfurt family nuns practitioner Judy Sutlon give teen patient an allergy fool. I be had no parents leave other doctors report somewhat More frequent Parent inquiries but they agree parents rarely remain upset once they understand the clinic program. For example doctors Are cautious about birth control. Girls requesting it must receive counselling in which abstinence is suggested As an option. I m a Parent Loo Smith said. I m not interested in putting children on blah control pills As fast As i Frankfurt s clinic has possibly the most comprehensive counselling program. The classes include discussion on values and decision making Dennison who conducts the sessions gives out info Mailon and debunks myths. Sometimes kids walk in saying j want birth control and leave saying i guess i Don t want this now she said even when treatment starts out confidential it often does t remain a secret Long. Many teens doctors said want their parents to know. And alter the initial Shock most parents Are glad their children sought medical help. Teens agreed they Don t want to keep secrets from their parents it clinic is a lot belter because of prove by said a 16 year old Junior irom Gellhausen who uses the Hanau clinic. Bull always go Home and Tell them everything nurse is second Mother to Naples teens by Robert Leonard Naples Bureau c Iao Belloi nurse Maria Giovanna Sepe threw out the warm italian greeting to a passing student Atic Wresl Sherman High school in Young Man did t waste any Lime in responding hey. Can i have a hug Sophomore Roy saudi 15, rushed 10 Sepe s Side and got the hug. He later said she s just like a Mother she treats us with kindness and tic tender Loving care. She s a special trend Sepe a native of Rhode Island has been in Naples Tor 17 years As a Dodds Mediterranean nurse. Eight years ago her school began offering a screening clinic to students. Two Navy doctors now operate the cynic every wednesday morning in the school basement with her help. In Sepe s office. Plants till the windows and roses till a vase on her desk. Sunshine streams in onto Bright shiny faces not the kind associated with sickness. She s Nice she knows what to do. She s help Junior Steve Herranen t6. Said of Sepe. I be never seen her mad. Some nurses Teave you cold but Sepe makes you Leel she she s your second Herranen came to the clinic because he was feeling ill Sepe sold him so lie Down on one of the three Beds in the Ward. When she went to take his temperature she asked Are you warm enough have you Ever seen such Beauli Lul skin he sol his Mother Sepe did her undergraduate study at Salve Regina College. Newport r.i., and then went to Boston University Lor her master s degree. She studied nursing with special emphasis in maternal and child health. When she graduated she taught nursing at is. Joseph s Hospital Providence. Fun. Lor three years. She had no thoughts of leaving the states but her neapolitan Mother talked her into a trip to Rome. She moved to Naples the next year and became the first nurse with Dodds Mediterranean in the City. The neapolitan have so much fun she said. They laugh they Are kind and gentle and Lull of Fife. Most of the kids Tove in Here. They Don t want to go Back to the states unless their parents Don t like it. We Are really Lucky to be Here teacher Jeanne Fuller used some of Sepe sown words to describe the nurse. She is Lun she is so Tull of Lite Fuller said she is very palent. She always listens saw s like a Mother. I get the impression that students just come Down to see her. They rust her probably More than heir the stars and stripes Page 15
