Willow Plaza is an Ingham County Health Department adolescent initiative. Willow Plaza has many programs that help teens and young adults.

One of the programs is the Peer Education Program. This program provides health education and information for teens and young adults in school and community settings. Willow Plaza staff members go to local schools and talk about things like sexual assault, HIV/AIDS, sexually transmitted disease, self –esteem, relationships, drugs, goal setting, and much more. These topics are things the every teen needs to know about. With good information about these issues, teens can make better decisions that impact their future.

Adolescent Medical Service is another program at Willow Plaza. This program is for youth 11to 21 year old. Services include physicals, birth control, and pregnancy testing, emergency contraception, and contraceptive supplies. They also provide sports, school, and work physicals. Health and prevention education is provided with every visit.

At Willow participants may also receive treatment for minor acute illnesses, sexually transmitted infections, and general health problems. There is also counseling at Willow Plaza and the staff provides a listening ear when there are things young people need to get off their chest.

The Turning Point program provides counseling for Ingham County youth and their families. Many people go to Willow to talk about personal, family, social, or school problems. Turning Point also assists youth in developing violence prevention and life management skills. Turning point is for all age groups, and young people can come in at anytime.

The teen pregnancy network is a program that is used very often. It helps many young women to stay in school. The program also teaches young parents how to take care of babies with lessons on how to change a baby or how to hold the baby, and a lot more. These programs have been most helpful to the teens and adults who go to Willow Plaza.

Willow Plaza is located at 306 West Willow Street.
517-702-3500 (phone)
517-484-5169 (fax)

Sherika Mitchell is a junior at Evertt High School and a participant in the Young Publishers Club sponsored by the Michigan Bulletin which meets at the Magic Johnson Foundation Creation Station located at the Black Child and Family Institute - 835 W. Genesee, Lansing MI.