Now I know parents are afraid that because HPV is sexually transmitted that vaccinating their kids means they'd have to discuss sex prematurely, but how many parents discuss sex when their kids get the Hepatitis B vaccines for school (as many are mandated to do, I know I was), because although it's not often discussed Hep B is most commonly sexually transmitted? We aren't vaccinated for Hep A or C, which are transmitted through blood and fecal interaction (think impoverished countries), we are mandatorily vaccinated for the STI Hep B in the United States and there isn't this kind of uproar! This apparently hasn't been a problem, most parents don't feel the need to prematurely talk about sex, or about vaccines in general. All they have to say is "this vaccine will keep you healthy" or in the case of the HPV vaccine "this vaccine will help prevent you from getting cancer," it's simple. And as always there's an opt out option for parent who insist their kids shouldn't get the vaccine, there are some families who for religious or personal reasons sometimes avoid vaccines and medical treatment altogether, and of course there have to be exceptions based on our constitution for those kinds of beliefs.

For most people under the age of 19 there are many places where you can get the Gardasil vaccine for free or low cost, unfortunately most insurances will not cover vaccinations after age 19 (like mine), and will then have to pay $160 out of pocket for each of the three shots in the series. I personally think it's wonderful that we have options now in fighting this epidemic, not only can it prevent HPV from occurring, but it can help people who are already infected to reduce or eliminate it's affect. I just had to put my two cents in, but I'm down for questions or comments if people have them.

We need help!!! Our teen centers (among other programs) may lose funding! The teen centers provide low cost medical services to adolescents ages 10-21. Although we do accept insurance, most of the teens who use our services do not have health insurance. Without the teen centers, many adolescents would not have access to medical care. There is an online petition to support the governor's tax proposal which will help fund education, health and human services and public safety programs.

On April 3rd, 2007 I volunteered to be an adult facilitator for Challenge Day at Hamilton Alternative High School in Lincoln Park. Challenge Day is a world-renowned program (Oprah had a special on it last year) that encourages students to look inward and use empathy to relate to each other and break down judgments to create a loving and supportive environment. Now, being an Alternative High School, many of these kids had been dismissed from other schools and districts because of drug use, violence, teen pregnancy etc… Long story short, they had a lot going on inside and came to the situation with lots of baggage, not that anyone wouldn’t. I’m not sure how to put into words what I experienced, all I can say is that it was amazing, I saw transitions happening to people right before my eyes. We were able to break down barriers and connect with each other in a non-superficial way, overcoming and learning things about ourselves in one day that sometimes takes many people (as my Dad put it) 10 years to accomplish.