protection

Healthcare that gives adolescents and young adults a voice

Adolescence is an important time of development. Young people are developing physically, emotionally, and socially. Their brains are developing rapidly. While early childhood involves rapid brain growth, adolescent brain development is focused on a process called “pruning,” in which the existing neural pathways are refined and trimmed over time, especially in the main decision-making areas…

Back to school and back to extracurricular activities

It’s early September and that means it’s time for back to school and also back to extracurricular activities. Many parents often wonder – which activities are the best for my child? How many activities are enough? Or too many? This year, with the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic, there is the added concern of how to stay…

Why are childhood vaccines so important?

As we emerge from this COVID haze, it is a great time to get your children caught up on their routine immunizations. If your child is eligible for a COVID vaccine (currently, those 12 years and up), now is also a great time. As a mother of three, I will list the three reasons I…

Celebrating World Children’s Day: Our commitment to provide for, protect and encourage children to participate

November 20, 2020 is the 61st anniversary of the World’s Children’s Day, which commemorates the Declaration of the Rights of the Child that passed by the United Nations (UN) General Assembly on November 20, 1959. The rights of children have evolved and transformed since that historic day. In 1989, the UN put in place the…

“Let’s Talk”: Ten tips for talking with teens about relationships and sexual health

Sexual development is a natural part of adolescence. Beyond the physical changes in their bodies, adolescents begin to feel “crushes” and sexual attraction, and many engage in sexual behaviors. In 2019, more than one in every three eleventh graders in Minnesota reported having had sex before. In today’s increasingly digital world, adolescents hear and see…