Wish Book: Stanford Children’s Health Teen Van treats those on roads less traveled

As she’s done many times before, sophomore Nicole Zamora grabbed a hall pass, went to the front of the East Palo Alto Academy school, entered the massive vehicle in the parking lot, and got a free medical checkup. No questions asked.

She’s one of thousands of young people — many lower income, in communities underserved by traditional medical care — who turn to the Stanford Medicine Children’s Health Teen Van for help.

Since 1995 — more than a decade before Zamora and many current Bay Area high-school students were born — the Teen Health Van has ventured to various Peninsula and South Bay schools and nonprofits to provide free medical care. Young people between the ages of 12 and 25 can access medical services ranging from sports physicals to vaccinations, all the way to testing for sexually transmitted infections and substance counseling.

To Zamora, 15, the Teen Health Van is a symbol of personal empowerment. She can get a checkup whenever she wants, without having to worry about transportation — the clinic comes to her — or coming up with the money to pay for it.

Most importantly for many young people concerned about medical privacy, patients under the age of 18 simply need to receive written permission from a parent or guardian, and then they’re free to seek out the medical treatment they need.

“I feel like it’s easier to get this because they don’t release your personal information to your parents and why you’re getting the help,” she said. “So when I found out (Stanford Medicine) provided this, I started going more and more.”

The Stanford Teen Health Van is seeking $30,000 in the 2023 Wish Book campaign, to help them continue serving lower-income, predominantly Black and brown and LGBTQ+ youth.

A touchstone for the teen van is the level of comfort patients feel when getting service. Appointments at the doctor’s office can be nerve-wracking for many young people concerned about sharing sensitive personal information, even with their own families or medical staff, Zamora notes.

That’s why the teen van prides itself on its relationship-building skills. Zamora said she sees the same staff each visit and she’s built a rapport with them.

One of the van’s regular stops is the San Jose Conservation Corps near Coyote Creek, which provides schooling to young adults between the ages of 17 and 25 for job training or the completion of their high school diploma.

The program works closely with site coordinators, like Natali Zepeda for the conservation corps, to bring the patients to the van.

“A lot of the students who we work with are classified as low-income, so they don’t really receive services outside of this program,” Zepeda said. “I’ve seen it be a profound support system for our students here so we are more than grateful and thankful that they are here.”

The organization estimates that about 70% of patients seen on any given day are returning visitors. The “van” itself — actually the size of an RV, with a fully functional medical examination room inside — lets staff bring the care to the patients.

“When we’re here at a place that they are, it makes life a lot easier for them,” said teen van medical director Dr. Arash Anoshiravani.

Anoshiravani’s history with the program dates back to the early 2000s, when he completed his medical residency working in the van. He’s been the program’s medical director for the last four years, and find his work on the van “rewarding.”

“I love working here and working with this population,” he said. “The rewards are high because what you see when you come into these community settings is that there’s a lot of need that is just not being met.”

The van’s schedule rotates to sites around the Bay Area, from San Jose up to South San Francisco, and operates twice a week, on Tuesdays and Thursdays. The locations most commonly focus on low-income areas with disenfranchised youth who find it difficult to go to a traditional medical clinic.

As a small way to meet the basic needs of young people who might be focused on a medical issue or other challenge, the van also stocks snacks and some school supplies.

Anoshiravani notes that the service builds a bridge between its patients and the traditional health-care system for when the youth outgrow the program’s age range.

“Our goal isn’t just to serve and run,” he said. “It’s to serve and connect so that people who feel disconnected or disenfranchised over time can feel connected to the health-care system that’s there to serve them.”

While the COVID-19 pandemic forced Bay Area residents to hunker down at home for most of the year, the van was out in the community, providing needed care.

“We had no downtime,” said assistant clinic manager and medical assistant Rosa Maldonado, noting that demand for tests and eventually vaccines pushed staff to offer a third day of services. “We were going to areas that I know you probably would not go to.”

Maldonado said she receives a handful of calls every month asking for the van to expand its scope and come to more sites, but the funding simply isn’t there for expansion at the moment.