• It has been 3 months since our clinic doors opened to the Manor-area community and it has been a thrill riding the emotional highs and lows of creating a business from the ground up. CYCC is highly blessed to have the most committed, hardworking, brilliant team of staff and volunteers. To share our progress and engage potential new patients, CYCC invited guests to our clinic open house on April 2. If you ask any event planner what makes an event successful, despite the myriad of perspectives, one response is universal: the guest experience. Let’s unpack that.

How about that!

• While social media has increased exposure to stressful events across the globe, an abundance of research shows that how people react in situations of heightened or pervasive stress can result in longer negative health effects. Our priority for the open house was to provide guests with a glimpse into our intentional efforts to mitigate stress triggers for CYCC patients within our healthcare space. We partnered with our volunteer youth navigators to create youth-friendly décor, including a special room called the Oasis Room (O.R.) that invoke senses of calm, value, positivity, resilience and belonging.

• For efficiency and to decrease wait times (which is a common concern for healthcare consumers), our patients receive enrollment paperwork and screening forms by text or email through our electronic medical records platform, Atlas.MD. In addition to offering medical and behavioral referrals for complex specialty care, we also wanted to highlight our amazing community partners who help us address social factors that affect health. These collaborations mean expanded access to phenomenal health resources for our patients despite our small beginnings.
  • Centering Healthcare Institute:  At CYCC we believe that social support and healthy lifestyle behaviors are critical as youth manage their health into adulthood. Through a two-year implementation grant and technical assistance, this organization is helping us develop two separate programs of group visits for youth aged 12y-19y seeking to manage their weight (Centered Bodies) and females experiencing irregular periods (Centered Cycles). Recruitment for these programs will begin in July so stay tuned for more information.
  • Upstream, USA: CYCC offers specialty services for adolescent family planning and menstrual disorders using adolescent-centered practices. This organization has a proven track record of increasing equitable access to birth control across states. CYCC looks forward to receiving team-based training, technical assistance on non-coercive reproductive justice care and access to a full range of contraceptive options including long-acting reversible contraceptives (LARCs). We want our young people to have the information and resources they need for timely menstrual management and reducing unplanned pregnancies.
  • African American Youth Harvest Foundation – This organization has a long-standing record of offering a variety of positive youth development programs for youth aged 5-19y. We look forward to referring CYCC patients interested in STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) careers or opportunities for pro-social development. We also look forward to volunteering to connect with the young people in their programs.
  • Austin Area Urban League – Developmental milestones are assessed at each clinic visit and for older youth experiencing academic or employment challenges, this organization provides free workforce readiness, soft-skills development and educational support for eligible youth aged 16-19y to prepare for future careers. At CYCC, we advocate that milestones are not just for little ones, but expand through the lifecourse.
  • Black Mommas ATX – CYCC serves as a medical home for parenting youth (up to age 25y) and their children through our teen/tot services. We are excited to partner with this organization which provides free support for Black pregnant women through doula services and connections to community resources.
  • The Safe Alliance/Expect Respect – When we identify patients who have been exposed to violence through screening for ACEs (Adverse Childhood Effects), we can refer them to this nationally recognized program that promotes safe and healthy relationships through support groups. For professional development and youth engagement opportunities, there are collaborations planned with our volunteer CYCC Youth Navigators.

Now what?

• Traditional healthcare is experiencing shifts with how medicine and healthcare is delivered to patients. CYCC wants to be at the forefront to redesign how healthcare is delivered for youth and young adults. While it will always be important to ensure patient safety and provide quality care, there are more demands for systems to improve patient experiences within the healthcare system. Healthcare consumers, especially adolescents, want to feel more heard. For most patients, the clinic experience provides a first impression of their future engagement with the healthcare system.

• It was humbling and joyous to see our community of friends & families supporting our clinic at the open house. We consider it an early success when patients and guests report experiencing our clinic to be warm, inviting, and youth-friendly! We value our patient reviews! We acknowledge the tremendous growth still awaiting our team and remain open to evolve. Schedule or book an appointment today for your personalized CYCC patient experience! We are here for you and because of you!

• Feb. 1 marks the first day of Black history month and the day our doors opened at Centered Youth Clinic and Consulting (CYCC). These events occurred on the backdrop of reports of public figures taking their own lives at such young ages. There is so much to unpack as we watch the new year unfold each month. For me, the one theme that threads through these occurrences is community! Let’s unpack that!

How about that!

• While I read reports of young people dying by suicide, as a Pediatric/Adolescent Medicine provider, it’s sometimes hard to fight feeling tired. Tired of witnessing the many missed opportunities to offer young people community/professional support or empower youth to embrace their inherent value within their community. It is important to note that mental health challenges vary across a spectrum and the full reason behind suicide is not always clear.
• My introduction to Black history month at nine years old as a Nigerian immigrant was puzzling at the best. I remember watching movies about slavery in school & listening to songs about how deprived Black slaves “got over”. It took me years to shift my focus from my disillusioned view of American history to the magnificent impact community movements had on the civil liberties of Black people and beyond.
• For me, CYCC represents another example of what happens when individuals are galvanized for a unified purpose. Sure, the vision may be cast by one person, but the idea was shaped and molded by countless patients asking to be heard in the health system, caregivers seeking practical support for their children, and medical colleagues quietly managing their BPP (Burnout Prevention Plan).

So what?

• In all honesty, experiencing Black history month as a nine-year-old new American immigrant, I was tired of watching the heart-breaking stories every year. After living 34 years in America as a Black/African-American, I am still tired of seeing some variations of those stories continue to play out in this day and age. And yes, I’m tired of feeling we are not doing enough to reduce preventable deaths of young people. Yet still I smile…I smile while tired. I smile because of more youth-serving health organizations who are embracing youth engagement to improve health outcomes (check out the Texas Youth Friendly Initiative, TYFI). I smile because of the opportunities we have been given to experience some of the liberties for which our freedom fighters sacrificed.
• Our first day at CYCC was met with so much community love and well-wishes to meet the needs of the youth in our area. We enrolled 2 patients in our direct primary care membership and counseled an expecting mom on our pediatric services. To be a Black/African-American woman physician entrepreneur in America is an honor I don’t take lightly this month in particular. Let us continue to lean on our communities for accountability, character-building, networking but most importantly, love, acceptance, and support! Everyone’s struggle is unique but let us lift each other up to smile while tired.

• At CYCC, we offer brief mental health counseling with referral to mental health specialists for complex needs. Our minds and bodies are connected so we provide Lifestyle health coaching to meet your goals in nutrition, physical activity, connectedness and more. Please schedule an appointment today or share our website with a loved one!

For more resources on suicide prevention call 1-800-273-TALK (8255) or contact Lifeline.   #YOUARENOTALONE  #suicideprevention  #community #love #support