{"id":1331,"date":"2016-12-13T13:12:06","date_gmt":"2016-12-13T18:12:06","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=1331"},"modified":"2016-12-13T13:12:06","modified_gmt":"2016-12-13T18:12:06","slug":"disclosure-from-doctors","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/acutabove.mipamsu.org\/?p=1331","title":{"rendered":"Disclosure from doctors"},"content":{"rendered":"

By Will Hackbarth & Ella Colbert
\n<\/strong>Focus
\nMidland HS
\n1st Place
\nDivision 2, News Writing
\nInformative Feature<\/p>\n

If one of Dr. Naheed Rizvi\u2019s teenage patients ever needs someone to talk to or pick them up, she\u2019ll do it. No questions asked. Unless the teen has done something to seriously harm themselves or another individual, Rizvi is legally obligated not to notify their parents, regardless of what they needed.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf there is ever a situation where a teen feels they cannot discuss anything with their parent or they\u2019re in a situation [where] it\u2019s ten o\u2019clock at night and they can\u2019t call their parent, they should always call me,\u201d Rizvi said. \u201cI tell them,
\n\u2018Call the office, I\u2019ll come and pick you up [and] make sure that you\u2019re safe.\u201d<\/p>\n

This confidentiality between doctor and patient is due to HIPAA, the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act. Because of HIPAA, if a minor does not wish for their parents to know something about their sexual activity, their doctor must keep the information private. This includes the use of birth control pills or the contracting of a sexually transmitted disease.<\/p>\n

However, if the teen fills a prescription for birth control pills or receives treatment for an STD through their parent\u2019s insurance providers, the information will be sent to their parents on their insurance statement.<\/p>\n

\u201cI encourage teens to share it with their parents,\u201d Rizvi said. \u201cHowever, if there are financial circumstances or circumstances in which the teen is scared of their parent finding out, we refer them to the Department of Health where they can get birth control pills and the parents don\u2019t know. We want to make sure that the patient gets all that they need.\u201d<\/p>\n

Rizvi and many of her colleagues\u2019 philosophy is that teenagers should know all their options regarding sex. Though she understands that parents often hope their children will stay away from sex, she believes it is important that kids are still educated on the subject.<\/p>\n

\u201cI always tell them about all their options,\u201d Rizvi said. \u201cAbstinence is golden, but it\u2019s also impossible.\u201d<\/p>\n

Since drug stores always run purchases through insurance, the only way for teenagers to get these prescriptions without their parents knowing is through the Midland County Department of Health. Mary Macinnes, a director at the Department of Health, says they have any type of contraception, including male and female condoms and all hormonal types of birth control, available to anybody who asks for them.<\/p>\n

Workers at the Department of Health are also bound by the standards of HIPAA, meaning they cannot inform teenagers\u2019 parents or any one else of the services they have requested, unless the teen is in need of more involved medical treatment or they need to report abuse to the authorities.<\/p>\n

\u201cI get occasional complaints from parents about our providing services to their children without their knowledge, but usually I just have to explain that legally I\u2019m not allowed to notify them,\u201d Macinnes said. \u201cThere are teens in our community whose parents might hurt them if they found out they\u2019d been to our clinic or that they were sexually active.\u201d<\/p>\n

Alternatively, junior Madelyn Groulx said that parents will usually have their kid\u2019s best interests at heart, and so should be informed if their child has a sexually transmitted disease. She said parents will be able to provide valuable guidance if they are informed.<\/p>\n

In Rizvi\u2019s experience, although parents are usually disappointed, they understand and try to help their child.
\n\u201cAs soon at the child\u2019s health is at harm, the parents should be notified, no matter how messy it may get,\u201d Groulx said. \u201cRegardless of how mad or disappointed the parents will be, they care and love their child. They deserve to know,
\nso together the parents and child can take steps to handle the situation.\u201d<\/p>\n

When anyone under the age of 17 goes to the Department of Health, they fill out paperwork that denotes whether or not their parents are aware of them seeking services. If the parents are unaware, the clinic bases the cost of treatment solely on the teenager\u2019s income, which is usually low enough to allow them free services. Macinnes believes that these aspects of the Department of Health are beneficial to the community. \u201cThere are quite a few teens who need our services or other medical care we offer who wouldn\u2019t come to us or be honest about their behavior if we had to inform their parents \u2013 which might be dangerous for them,\u201d Maccines said. \u201cOne of the biggest benefits of what we do is that teens can get accurate, non-judgmental information from us about birth control, STDs and sexuality which helps them make informed decisions about the way they want to live their lives. They can ask us things they don\u2019t feel comfortable asking anyone else.\u201d<\/p>\n

Groulx agrees with Macinnes that the Health Department\u2019s services are beneficial to the community. She also believes that they would not be as effective if they had to inform
\nteenagers\u2019 parents.<\/p>\n

\u201cIf a student is having sex, and they come for help, at least they are taking some responsibility for their actions,\u201d Groulx said. \u201cIf the Health Department started telling parents, I think that students would not ask for the protection, leading to a whole bunch of trouble.\u201d<\/p>\n

Contrarily, Eagle Ridge Church of God Pastor Bill Greiner believes that the best resource for teenagers to utilize is their parents. He says that because parents are held accountable for their child\u2019s behavior when it comes to truant and physical issues, parents should also be held responsible for the sexual health of their child.<\/p>\n

\u201cStatistics show that parents are the number one influence of their kid,\u201d Greiner said. \u201cI don\u2019t think you can make a good decision on behalf of your child if you don\u2019t know what\u2019s going on.\u201d<\/p>\n

Sue Barrons, a mother of four children who have attended Midland High, thinks that the Department of Health\u2019s contraceptive services are a benefit, compared to doing nothing. However, she agrees with Greiner that they should notify the parent if the child has a sexually transmitted disease. She feels that if the parents are aware of their child\u2019s affliction, they can provide guidance and help them find the best doctors to help them.<\/p>\n

\u201cI want to know what\u2019s going on with my kid so I can make the choice [about] what\u2019s good for them,\u201d Barrons said. \u201cI would go to the best professionals that would know a lot, [to make sure they\u2019re getting the] right information and the best treatment that they can have.\u201d<\/p>\n

Greiner does agree with Rizvi that it is important for doctors to share all information regarding sex with teenagers, especially in conjunction with the parents, as it will be
\nmore effective that way. But, he believes that informing teenagers of different contraceptive options is unnecessary and overrated due to extensive emphasis on the issue already. He feels that people are willing to inform teenagers of their options regarding contraceptives, but are more hesitant to share the consequences.<\/p>\n

\u201cI\u2019m not about keeping information from kids,\u201d Greiner said. \u201cBut when information is given separate from values, then it is of very little use and becomes extraordinarily
\nineffective in helping students make decisions that are going to drastically affect their health. It potentially could risk their lives.\u201d<\/p>\n

Barrons thinks that doctors should tell teenagers everything about sex as well. She thinks doctors can help dismiss common misconceptions teenagers are told. \u201cThere\u2019s so many rumors and made up stories about \u2018You won\u2019t get pregnant by this or that\u2019, and it\u2019s all false and kids believe that stuff,\u201d Barrons said. \u201cThey should know [about sex].\u201d<\/p>\n

As a parent, Greiner believes the doctor should encourage teenagers to discuss sex with their parents, as well as help them figure out how to do so. He believes that teenagers can often be advised by health care professionals to make decisions, such as taking birth control, which they might not have thought about enough before.<\/p>\n

Greiner does believe there is a certain point in which doctors should be obligated to inform parents of their child\u2019s sex life, if it will harm them in any way. \u201cIf a doctor is going to do anything medical, from that point on, as a parent, they have to tell me,\u201d Greiner said. \u201cThe risk is so high of having a real medical issue.\u201d<\/p>\n

Ultimately, both medical staff and parents want their kids to be comfortable and safe. Though there is disagreement about the methods, all involved parties want a blend of positive influences that will be best for the child.<\/p>\n

\u201cThe hope is that every teen can feel comfortable to ask their parents . . . and share with their physician,\u201d Rizvi said. \u201cThere is no question that should go unanswered.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

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