Northwell Health Educates Glen Cove Youth Group About HIV Prevention

The Center for Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV at Northwell Health recently partnered with Glen Cove Hospital to educate the Glen Cove Youth Bureau about ways to prevent HIV and other sexually transmitted infections (STIs).

The Glen Cove Youth Bureau members learned about Pre-Exposure Prophylaxis (PrEP), which is a daily pill that can help prevent someone from getting HIV, as well as information about other STIs during their hospital visit.

“To prevent the spread of HIV and sexually transmitted diseases, it’s important to educate teenagers about these illnesses and how they are spread,” said Tacianna Pierre, LMSW, a member of Northwell Health’s Center for Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV group who organized the April 10 event. “It was very rewarding to see these teenagers walk away better informed about their health after the two hour event was done.”

'National Youth HIV & AIDS Awareness Day was April 10. On April 12, New York State adopted a new measure that allows teenagers to be diagnosed and treated for HIV and other STIs, including receiving preventive care and education, without notifying their parents – removing a potential barrier to diagnose and treat people with HIV.

“I hope that this new measure will help teenagers feel more comfortable speaking to their physicians about their sexual activity and make it easier for them to seek treatment,” said David Rosenthal, DO, PhD, medical director of the Center for Young Adult, Adolescent and Pediatric HIV.

In addition to learning about STIs, the Glen Cove Youth Bureau members also toured Glen Cove Hospital’s rehabilitation facility and learned about various careers in the medical field.