Youth-friendly care
Young people have rights. One of these rights mean that youth have access to youth-friendly care. What does that mean? Youth-friendly care means understanding that youth are a diverse group with different needs and desires who need relevant, timely and accessible care that is adapted to their unique experiences and situations. HPEPH is committed to providing youth-friendly care to young people in our community.
Public Health clinics in secondary schools
Publicly funded secondary schools within HPE each have a weekly school-based Public Health Clinic where the following services are available*:
Secondary students
Confidential and caring services:
- Quit or cut down smoking or vaping
- Mental health support
- Birth control and condoms
- Emergency contraceptives
- Pregnancy or STI testing
- Naloxone kits and other resources for substance use
- Counselling or referrals for:
- Healthy relationships
- Immunization
- Oral health
- Violence & bullying
- Healthy eating
- Physical activity
Limited sexual health services available in ALCDSB schools.
HPEPH school-based public health clinics offer 2SLGBTQI+ supports and services.
Educators
Action guides, learning supports, presentations, and resource kits for:
- Healthy eating
- Human development and sexual health
- Immunization
- Mental health literacy
- Oral health
- Physical activity
- Road and off-road safety
- Substance use and addiction (including vaping)
- Violence and bullying
- and more!
School-based Public Health clinic schedule
| Tuesday | Bayside Secondary School, North Hastings High School, St. Theresa Catholic Secondary School |
| Wednesday | Central Hastings School, Eastside Secondary School, Trenton High School |
| Thursday | Centennial Secondary School, Nicholson Catholic College, Prince Edward Collegiate Institute, St. Paul Catholic Secondary School |
Book an appointment online or contact your school’s Public Health Nurse directly (contact information posted on clinic door and available at the guidance office). Drop-ins are welcome!
Youth-friendly care outside of school-based clinics
Youth who require care outside of these clinics, including those not attending the above-listed schools, are able to access services through regular HPE Public Health and community pathways.
Sexual Health
If you would like to have a confidential conversation with a Public Health Nurse regarding your sexual health, call 613-966-5500 x 243 or 1-800-267-2803 x 243 (Monday to Friday, 8:30am – 4:30pm). Common youth services accessed are contraception, STI testing, pregnancy testing and pregnancy options counselling.
For more information, visit our Birth Control & Pregnancy Counselling Page, or our Sexually Transmitted Infections Page.
Smoking/Vaping Support
Trained quit specialists and low-cost nicotine patches & gum, are available to the public by calling HPEPH’s Tobacco Talk Line at 613-966-5500 ext. 600. A specialist will provide health education, support youth in making a quit/reduction plan, and provide additional supports (nicotine replacement) as needed. For more information see HPEPH’s Quit Smoking Program and Vaping webpages.
Mental Health and Addictions
Mental health is an important part of the overall health and well-being of youth. Adolescence is a time of many transitions and changes in a young person’s life and often times having supports in place will help to alleviate stress and challenges that youth encounter.
If you feel you are in a state of crisis, call the 24/7 Mental Health Helpline at 1-866-531-2600.
Community resources available to help support youth mental health:
- Kids Help Phone offers free 24/7 counselling and referral services. Call 1-800-668-6868, or text CONNECT to 686868
- One Stop Talk (Ontario) is a NEW virtual mental health counselling service for youth. Access free brief therapy. Connect with clinicians: Monday to Friday from 12 p.m. to 8 p.m. and on Saturdays from 12 p.m. to 4 p.m. To begin your session by phone, call: 1 (855) 416-8255 / 1 (855) 416-TALK
- Children’s Mental Health provides service for children, youth, and their families. You can sign up for counselling or call their crisis line 24/7 at 613-966-3100
- Bounce Back – 1-800-345-0224. If you’re experiencing low mood, depression, and anxiety, BounceBack can help. Through BounceBack, adults and youth 15+ learn skills to help manage worry and anxiety, combat unhelpful thinking, and become more active and assertive.
- Youthab offers a number of services including mental health counselling, addictions counselling, disordered eating support, and help with housing and employment to youth 16+.
