The National Research Council and the US Institute of Medicine released a report that describes the nation’s current healthcare system as fragmented and poorly designed when it comes to the matter of health care for teenagers.  The report, ‘Adolescent Health Services: Missing Opportunities,’ calls for better coordination,  improved quality of care, and advances in the way healthcare providers are trained to deal with teenagers.

While it’s true most teenagers in the US today are in good health, they’re still teenagers and they, like, do the teenage thing – engage in risky behaviors.  The report emphasizes the point that risky behaviors today, when left unaddressed, can lead to unhealthy habits in the future.  Also going under-addressed are many physical and mental conditions jeopardizing the immediate health of a large number of teenagers today and threatening their future quality of life.

Robert S. Lawrence, chairman of the report committee and professor of environmental health sciences and health policy at Johns Hopkins’ Bloomberg School of Public Health, says teens have “unique healthcare needs” best approached as such, much in the same way the special needs of younger children and adults are approached.  He would like to see the distinct problems of teenagers, including their tendency toward risky behaviors, included in the restructuring of the nation’s healthcare system.

Lawrence says the teen years are a critical time for children aged 10 to 19 to develop healthy habits that will enhance their lifelong health and would like to see services for teenagers focused on the promotion of healthy lifestyles, disease prevention, and improved management of chronic medical conditions.

In the current system, teenagers who are un- or under-insured must often rely on the limited services provided by school health programs, community centers, and hospitals when they would probably be better served by routine medical care from a primary physician.  More than five million American children aged 10 to 18 are uninsured at this time.

The report describes the fragmented services teens encounter and their lack of access to some much-needed specialty services that include dental care, mental health services, sexual and reproductive care, and substance abuse issues.  Of particular concern are poor children, those in foster homes, and the children of recent immigrants.