Written by Jasmine Mondesis, BOLD Initiative Intern. March 12 2014

Visiting the Caribbean House Health Center had a positive effect on me as part of TDN Tour to Health’s itinerary. It also brought me to realization of all the possible dangers and predicaments that people face on a daily basis. Not just hearing about HIV, but also other chronic diseases.

As we toured the building, I met great people who help out the community so much. For example, this one lady who was the director of the chronic disease department, she helped out with some teens who had been diagnosed with mental illnesses. She helps them go to group classes, if she can,gets them food stamps and she also has doctors to visit them to make sure that they take

their meds everyday. We also visited other departments and people who not only work with teens but also with adults that have been contracted with STDs.

I met this man who works with groups of man-to-man intercourse. He told us about the different types of things he does and how he talks with them and shares information on protective sex and etc. Many of the things that go on at the Health Center, I had no idea about, such as if a teen decided to come in and have a pregnancy test or test for an STI, then they can get one. If they don’t want their parents to know, they can go on the Health Center’s insurance. Their insurance can cover all of their visits and tests.