Youth Health Clinic nurse Kate Balfour takes the blood
pressure of Aoraki Polytechnic Early Childhood Studies
student Kendall Walker (18).
Timaru's Youth Health Clinic is very busy and staff say
this could be put down to youth having less money in their
pockets.
The Youth Health Clinic is funded by the South Canterbury
District Health Board and is free for youth between the ages
of 14 and 25.
It has been running from its office at the Aoraki Polytechnic
for about six years.
Staff have noticed an increase in the number of people coming
through compared with last year.
"We have gone from an average of about seven people every
hour and a-half last year to an average of nine this year,"
nurse Kate Balfour said.
Two to three staff work at the clinic at a time - there are
two registered nurses and one doctor.
The staff believed the economic climate might have caused the
increase.
"The need is huge, especially now with incomes being
affected," Ms Balfour said.
The opening hours for the clinic are 3pm to 4.30pm every
Tuesday but the clinic is often open for longer, to cater to
demand.
"It's a rare day we close on time. It's usually at 5pm,"
doctor Kirsty Russell said.
She said it was likely people had started to hear more about
the clinic and were attracted because it was free and
accessible.
- Cerisse Denhardt
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