The adolescent population of the Verde Valley — particularly those at risk, such as homeless or exploited youth — have gained a powerful advocate in Yavapai County Community Health Services Pediatrics Program Manager Dr. Cody Conklin-Aguilera.
Though the board-certified pediatrician began her tenure at YCCHS’ Cottonwood office in November, maternity leave kept Conklin-Aguilera out of the facility until recently. Prior to accepting the position in Cottonwood, she worked for six years in Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s Homeless Youth Outreach Program, where she “provided care to at-risk children and youth living in homeless shelters and on the streets of Phoenix via a big blue mobile clinic.”
In addition, Conklin-Aguilera worked for many years with the Department of Child Safety, allowing her the opportunity to help prevent and decrease the incidence of children subjected to abuse and neglect. Currently, she serves on the Governor’s Oversight Committee of the Department of Child Safety.
According to Conklin-Aguilera, she decided to make the move from Phoenix to Yavapai County when she apprised the issues facing access issues related to the youth population: Being under-insured, uninsured or hesitant to seek medical services for a variety of reasons. In addition, Conklin-Aguilera had examined the state of Phoenix Children’s Hospital’s Homeless Youth Outreach Program and determined it could stand on its own.
“I was able to grow that program and when I left I knew it was sustainable,” Conklin explained, adding that the opportunity to continue her advocacy efforts drew her to work at a Federally Qualified Healthcare Facility — where, she noted, no one is turned away based on their inability to pay. YCCHS is funded through by the federal government, the Arizona Health Care Cost Containment System, private insurance and cash payments.
“It was important to come here because I saw a lot of gaps in services,” Conklin-Aguilera explained, mapping a virtual desert of low-cost medical services for youth from Northern Phoenix to Flagstaff. In addition, she added, most medical services available to youth do not allow for lengthy, full-spectrum care and relationship-building. They are not the kind of “medical home” Conklin-Aguilera hopes to build at YCCHS — a place where care is available to all, regardless of socioeconomic status.
In Conklin-Aguilera’s opinion, there are five major issues affecting youth in the Verde Valley: Obesity and pre-diabetes; untreated asthma; neurological and behavioral issues; teen pregnancy [sometimes, Conklin Aguilera said, as the result of sexual exploitation]; and lack of preventative care.
The last issue, Conklin-Aguilera said, is particularly pressing. “From 10 to 15 percent of the kids I’m seeing have never seen a doctor,” she said. Many such individuals have only received vaccines. When medical conditions or accidents occur, their parents take them to the emergency room. Simple procedures — such as one that takes a mere two seconds to determine if a child is at risk for partial blindness — are neglected, often resulting in permanent damage.
“A lot of good can happen with a robust adolescent program in place in Cottonwood,” Conklin-Aguilera said.
