For Teens and Young Adults

Local Health Departments

Most local health departments (LHD) administer the HPV vaccine for free if you qualify. Here is a list of LHDs and their contact information so that you can find out if they offer the vaccine, and will do so to minors, and if there are any fees associated with it.

Community Health Centers

The community-based health centers and Federally Qualified Health Centers are part of the nation’s healthcare safety net. Patients often qualify for low or no-cost services based on their specific needs. Click the link above to find a health center near you.

Family Planning Program Sites

The programs listed provide comprehensive, confidential family planning and reproductive health care services to all women, men, and adolescents regardless of ability to pay or immigration status. If a client does not have insurance coverage, a sliding fee scale based on the client’s income is used to determine if a fee will be charged.

Pharmacies

In 2021, New York State passed a law allowing pharmacies to administer the HPV vaccine and other federally approved and recommended vaccines to those 18 years of age and older. A link is provided of NYS pharmacies by County. Call your local pharmacy to find out if they carry and administer the HPV vaccine.

College Health Services

Some health clinics on college campuses may carry the HPV vaccine or are able to write a prescription for students to receive the vaccine at a local pharmacy.

Colleges and universities are uniquely positioned to support HPV vaccination for their students. By incorporating vaccine education and resources into health services, promotion, and education programs, colleges, and universities can increase vaccination rates and reduce cancer risk for their students. 

If interested in promoting HPV vaccination on college campuses you may want to sign up for the Collegiate Health Workgroup via info@nyshpv.org.

Our College & University HPV Toolkit is a free resource for college health providers, staff, faculty, students, and other stakeholders to assist you in promoting HPV vaccination to your students. Designed by colleges, for colleges, the toolkit includes easy to use, printable, and modifiable resources to educate students about HPV vaccination and provide resources for getting vaccinated. This toolkit can be used by colleges that offer the vaccine and those that do not, and includes a QR code flyer for a pharmacy locator. If you are on a campus, you can download the College and University HPV Toolkit by filling out this short form with your contact information so we can follow up with with updates and additional resources.

We encourage each campus to strive towards a system to assess all incoming students for HPV vaccination and prompts an intervention through health services to vaccinate or refer those who are unprotected against HPV. The sooner a young person is vaccinated, the better for protecting against HPV cancers and genital warts.

Pediatricians, Family Physicians, and School-Based Health Centers

School-based health centers are especially convenient to receive HPV and
other adolescent vaccinations. For those under 18, parents or caregivers will usually need to give permission by signing a consent form. 

Minor Consent for the HPV Vaccine

Section 23.4 of Title 10 NYCRR (New York Codes, Rules and Regulations) allows health care providers to “…render medical care related to other sexually transmitted diseases without consent or knowledge of the parent or guardian.” Therefore, health care providers are permitted to provide human papillomavirus (HPV) vaccination to sexually active minors without parental/guardian consent. Teens are encouraged to talk to their parents or guardians about their healthcare needs, including the HPV vaccination, even if these discussions can be difficult, and may not happen in a timely fashion.  Some adolescents may not have a safe family environment in which these conversations can take place. In that case, a conversation with a healthcare provider could be helpful. Be aware that many providers may be reluctant to administer the HPV vaccine without a parent’s consent and a minor’s confidentiality is not ensured because of future billing statements, or vaccination records, for example.