The USF Health Ybor Youth Clinic and The Spring of Tampa Bay recently partnered to design a mural signifying their commitment to raising awareness of domestic violence within the LGBTQ community.

The mural, simple in design with a powerful message, is in the room where YYC providers test for HIV and other sexually transmitted infections for patients ages 13 to 24 years old.  The mural is designed to be encouraging and empowering to those getting tested, hopefully resulting in patients opening up about any potential domestic violence incidents, said Lisa Sanders, MD, YYC executive director and USF Health Morsani College of Medicine Pediatric Infectious Diseases assistant professor.

“In our initial discussions, we didn’t know where it should be.  Now that it’s done, we realized it’s exactly where it should be,” Dr. Sanders said.  “We can only do so much here in the clinic. So, working alongside community partners who can help serve our patients is crucial to our model working the way it does.”

Dr. Sanders mentioned that the true model of the clinic is to get young people in for HIV and sexually transmitted infections testing and education.  Ideally, patients will become more comfortable over multiple visits and are more inclined to talk to YYC providers, who are able to connect their young patients to resources and community partners, including the Spring of Tampa Bay.

Lisa Sanders, MD, executive director of the Ybor Youth Clinic and USF Health Morsani College of Medicine associate professor if Pediatric Infectious Diseases.

Kayden Rodriguez, who worked with the prevention team with The Spring, was the key facilitator in the LGBTQ Roundtable that led to the mural.  He worked with a local artist named Krystal Jade to come up with the concept and design of the mural.  The Community Foundation of Tampa Bay donated the paint needed to bring their design idea to life.

Housed under the USF Health Department of Pediatrics, the Ybor Youth Clinic is the only clinic in Hillsborough County dedicated to providing targeted health care and risk reduction services to youth ages 13 to 24 in a compassionate and non-judgmental environment.  The YYC works with many community agencies, including The Spring, to meet all patient needs and ensure the best possible patient outcomes.

The Spring of Tampa Bay is Hillsborough County’s certified domestic violence center providing survivors of domestic violence with comprehensive services and programs including victim advocacy, emergency housing, and legal assistance. The Spring helps bridge the gap between victims and many other community resources available through their various partnerships throughout the county.  Further, the mission of organization is to increase awareness of domestic violence within the LGBTQ community and linking survivors to a robust network of resources.

Left to right: Andy Lim, Ybor Youth Clinic; Angela Moss, Ybor Youth Clinic; Lisa Sanders, MD, Ybor Youth Clinic; Ellen Lynn, The Spring of Tampa Bay; Christine Meister, The Spring of Tampa Bay; Kim Johnson, Ybor Youth Clinic.

The relationship between USF Health and The Spring of Tampa Bay has been a long and healthy one.  Recently, the USF College of Public Health partnered with The Spring for a project called the “Listening Sessions Project,” which aims to understand how black and Afro-Latina women perceive and experience various aspects of the justice system as victims of domestic violence, according Abraham Salinas-Miranda, MD, PhD, USF COPH assistant professor and director of the Harrell Center for the Study of Family Violence.

The two organizations focused on linking domestic violence victims to community resources to help them recover and re-enter society.

Ybor Youth Clinic by the numbers 2021:

• 2,349 Patient Visits
• 2,553 STI tests administered
• 1,363 HIV tests administered
• 298 patients treated for STI’s
• 249 patients received medication to prevent or treat HIV
• 174 visits for contraception
• 100 visits for other gynecological purposes