Below is a reminder “from the archives” that remains extremely important for each residential center, today. Please remind your INTAKE OFFICE to review the following:

Standard 38: Each Teen Challenge center shall ensure that:
a: The applicant who enters the program without first getting a physical, shall have a physical not later than 30 days after entering Teen Challenge. TB, Hepatitis B & C and HIV tests shall be part of the physical.

Why are these tests required? Hepatitis B and C are contagious liver diseases that if they become “chronic” can often lead to others becoming infected who live in close proximity to the infected person. A person with chronic Hepatitis B or C will often not know they’re infected since they will not show the signs of illness that often accompany an acute Hepatitis infection.The Hepatitis B virus can survive outside the body in a room temperature environment for at least seven days and the Hepatitis C virus for up to three weeks. Under specific conditions, the HIV virus can live for days outside the body. During this time, these viruses can cause infection if they enter the body of a person who is not infected.The only way to determine if a person is infected is through blood tests.

The potential risk for infection is why this standard is in place and these blood tests are required. To verify that these tests are getting completed, Accreditation reviewers will look for copies of lab results in each students’ file. Lab result dates will be compared to the date of program entry to verify compliance.

Please help keep your students, staff, volunteers, and the public (church services, etc.) safe.

(original post- 2016, D. Lance)