The Mount Sinai journal of medicine, New York
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This article reviews the legal standards and ethical dilemmas surrounding the provision of care to adolescent patients. Uncertainty and ambiguity in this area has contributed to the underserving of the adolescent population. Usually, the legal right to consent to treatment resides with the adolescent's parent or legal guardian; however, there are many cases in which adolescents may provide their own consent. ⋯ The issue of confidentiality poses legal and ethical challenges to the provider in five discussed areas. Providers should be aware of the laws specific to their state, while keeping foremost the best interest of their patients. Providers should also encourage parental involvement and communication concerning treatment, while respecting adolescents' right to confidentiality.
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Children in foster care have many health needs. This article presents the model of the Children's Aid Society (CAS) of New York City in addressing these needs. In addition to their regular foster care program, CAS developed the Medical Foster Care (MFC) in response to the growing number of boarder babies (children with medical conditions who are abandoned at hospitals), and the Therapeutic Foster Care (TFC) for foster children with emotional and behavioral mental health problems. ⋯ In addition, systems of information maintenance and exchange surrounding the health care of foster children need to be improved. Often agencies are ill-equipped to do adequate background checks on these young people and as a result deliver them to foster care situations where their health needs are not revealed and therefore not addressed. Health care providers also need to stay informed on the overall subject of foster care, as their voices will probably be crucial in ensuring that the extensive needs of these children are adequately represented to government, medical and other service providers.