'Studio 55' Caters To Teen-agers

By VALERIA M. RUSS, Daily News Staff Writer
Posted: November 04, 1987

A week ago, the Woodland Avenue Medical Clinic celebrated the grand opening of "Studio 55," a special teen clinic at the medical center in Southwest Philadelphia.

About 200 teen-agers showed up for a tour of the facilities, on Woodland Avenue near 55th Street, where they can learn about venereal disease and drug abuse or get free pregnancy tests and contraceptives.

The clinic, through a prenatal program for pregnant students at nearby John Bartram High School, has established a link to other students at the school. School nurses were sent fliers about Studio 55 and have been told to refer students who may need birth control to the clinic.

This way, the School District, wary of creating the kind of flareups that used to occur at the mention of sex education in classrooms, does not provide contraceptives in the school. But information about how and where to get them is clearly available to students.

Herbert Hazan, director of health services for the district, said the availability of birth control at the clinic does not mean the district is recommending birth control.

"We're not doing that any more than when we refer students to city health centers for follow-up health care," said Hazan.

"Family planning services are available at any City of Philadelphia Health Department clinic, and many of our students and their families utilize those services," he said.

School board president Herman Mattleman said the district "has not crossed that line" between educating students about birth control and actually dispensing contraceptives.

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