Medical Attention

[Unregistered]

I am a 16 year old runaway with absolutely no form of identification. If required, how would I go about getting medical treatment. Say I got sick or something serious happened and I needed to go to the E.R.. Would I be able to do this?

I am finally living in a very stable and safe home and do not want anyone to find out where I am and make me return to my parents so I'm trying to figure this out.

Thanks for the help.

[ccsmod5]

Re: Medical Attention

Hello,
Thanks for reaching out to us at our bulletin boards. Sounds like you're trying to take all the proper steps to taking care of yourself. That's good to hear.

So if you're looking for health care resources, because you are a minor it may be difficult to attain those. Every hospital and clinic have different poicies with that but most times they will not see anyone under the age of 18 or people without IDs. Again, don't quote us but maybe there are some clinics that don't need ID or care how old you are. Those kinds of agencies are normally in big cities. In what city and state are you?

It's great to hear that things are finally stable for you but as a minor, health care, education and empolyment are usually struggles for folks that run away from home. What happened at home that you can't be there? Do your gaurdians know where you are and is there a runaway report on you? Is there an adult that you live with that would be willing to take you to a clinic and see if that could help you get services through their health insurance?

That's another thing: health care is expensive and if you don't have any, there would be another struggle.

Here is a youth legal advocacy organization that could probably answer some of those things if our ideas can't help:

Justice for Children
1800-733-0059

If you're willing and able to call our hotline, we may be able to explore more options for you. We're available at 1800-RUNAWAY (786-2929). That's available 24/7 and our live chat service (where you can chat with a crisis chatter) is available every day from 430pm-1130pm.

Best of luck,

[Guest]

I bleached my hair I’m a 16 year old male run away and my face has generated a bad rash with a fever and head pain

[ccsmod3]

Hey there. Thanks for contacting NRS. We know that it can take a lot of courage to reach out for support, and we're glad you took that step.

We're sorry to hear that you're not feeling well. However, because we're not medical professionals, we aren't in a position to offer medical advice. It sounds like it might be a good idea for you to seek medical attention, and the ER is usually a good place to start. By law, they have to see you and treat you. We understand that this might be problematic for you since you're a minor and because you're a runaway, but if you need medical care, it's important to prioritize that for your overall wellbeing.

If you'd like to chat in more detail, please feel free to reach out to us directly by calling 1-800-RUNAWAY or through our live chat at www.1800runaway.org. We're available 24/7 and are always happy to listen, and to help.

We hope you feel better soon.

NRS

[Guest]

If I am a runaway and I need to go to a teen health clinic to get checked for stds and uti’s can I do that without being caught ?

[ccsmod9]

Thank you for contacting NRS,
We appreciate you reaching out to us and commend you on reaching out. It seems like you have left home and are trying to get medical help during this time. That is definitely something that can be important to you and a basic need you are in need of. So this is just information to help you understand the situation better. Some things to keep in mind are that if you are younger than 18 your parents technically are still your guardians. This means that your parents have the right to make decisions for you medically meaning that you yourself are not able to make that visit for yourself. This also means there is no way of getting medical attention for something like that. You could try the emergency room but or even planned parenthood but from what we understand you might be denied by them as you are under the age of 18 and need your parent's permission.

We are here as support to help through this challenging time. We can best help by phone or chat as NRS is unable to respond more than twice by forum to assist you. If you would like to talk more in detail please call or chat soon.

Our contact information is 1-800-RUNAWAY (786-2929); www.1800runaway.org (click on the chat button).

If you are at risk of any danger or feeling unsafe, we encourage you to reach out to 911 or seek emergency assistance immediately.

Be safe,

NRS

[Guest]

Hey I’m a 17 year old girl, I was kicked out of my house and I have no medical records I don’t even have a ID can I go to the hospital to be treated for a infection and if I can will they help me if my records are in their system?

[ccsmod15]

Hey there,
Thanks for reaching out to NRS, that sounds like a scary situation to have an infection and be without the support of your parent/guardian when trying to get medical care. Usually if your parent/guardian cannot be reached by the hospital you are considered medically emancipated to make medical decisions for yourself. Without having medical records should not prevent you from getting medical service now.
Just as heads up as well, kicking you out like that without a safe alternative is likely a form of neglect. Child Protective Services might be able to take action to find you a safe place to stay and assist you in getting an ID or access to your medical records.
If you have more questions feel free to reach out to us directly at 1-800-786-2929 or online at www.1800runaway.org