By late afternoon in the Women’s Health Center in Old Town Takoma Park, the toys that litter the coffee table during the day are replaced with magazines like Ebony and YM.

After 5:00 p.m. on most weekdays, the building located on 7005 Carroll Ave switches gears. By day it is a woman’s health center; by night it is the Teen Connection of Takoma, a clinic for teens.

The clinic offers free services including advice, health education, physical exams and STD testing for males and females. Patients can receive contraceptives for $5 and up as well as pap smears and pregnancy tests for $10 each.

At the center, patients find a comfortable environment, says Karen Butler-Colbert, the certified registered nurse practitioner who works at the clinic. Here, she says, they can obtain services without fearing societal judgment.

For more information about the Teen Connection of Takoma, call
(301) 891-0977.