Trafficking Case 2
History
You are evaluating a 16 year-old female in your clinic. She is accompanied by her child protective services caseworker after the patient was found missing from her group home for approximately one year.
You gain rapport with the patient and ask about her medical history. She discloses a history of asthma that was not treated for approximately one year during the time she was on the run. She had several urgent care visits for acute exacerbations. She also discloses a diagnosis of Chlamydia twice with appropriate treatment with Azithromycin each time.
Then, you ask her about human trafficking. "I know sometimes when I see patients who are on the run, sometimes they are asked to do things like have sex for money or a place to stay, has that ever happened for you?" She discloses she knows someone who does that but she never did that.
You address her medical needs by
- Prescribing albuterol
- Offering to address other concerns she might have (e.g., HIV, STIs, pregnancy)
- Having her return to see you in 2 weeks
Concern
You identify the patient as being at risk for sex trafficking because of the following:
- She has been on the run from a group home. Being in the foster system implies some history of abuse/neglect.
- History of untreated chronic medical condition
- History of Chlamydia twice
- States she knows someone who exchanges sex for money