The run-down old trailer isn’t much to look at. But the Adolescent Health Center is must-stop shopping for teenagers in search of condoms. Nestled behind a tennis court, the facility commonly known as the "Teen Clinic" is sandwiched between a strip mall and the Minnie Howard football field. According to nurse practitioner Linda Walters, teens frequently arrive at the out-of-the-way location looking for birth control.

"Every day," said Walters, when asked how often T.C. Williams students show up asking for condoms. "Several times a day."

Last week, the Alexandria School Board unanimously approved a budget proposal that would spend $40,000 to move the clinic inside the King Street school facility. The newly renamed Teen Wellness Center would be operated by a coalition including Alexandria City Public Schools, the Virginia Department of Health and the Alexandria government. For the last 10 months, an inter-agency planning committee has been outlining the mission of the center, which will include mental health services, substance abuse counseling, physical exams, immunizations and family planning.

"It’s about prevention," said Amy Carlini, spokeswoman for the school administration. "The idea is to keep them health and in school."

ACCORDING TO a recent study funded by the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, Alexandria has a teen birth rate of 52 per 1,000 female population. That’s one of the highest in Virginia. The report also found that Alexandria has one of the highest rates of chlamydia in the commonwealth. It’s a statistic readily apparent at the Teen Clinic, where several posters on the wall outline the facts about this sexually transmitted disease. Nurses here say chlamydia is common in the student body.

"We do a lot of testing in Alexandria," said Dibby Smith, nursing supervisor at the Adolescent Health Center. "And when there’s something common in the community like chlamydia, which often has no symptoms, the more you test for it the more you are going to find it."

Many teens are never tested. And that can lead to bigger problems down the road. Health officials say that more access means more testing, which means more treatment, which will ultimately lead to a healthier community. One of the major selling points for the new wellness center was the comparative advantage of a location inside T.C. Williams to the remote trailer at the edge of the Bradlee Shopping Center.

"We don’t have to give out birth control," said Walters. "That’s a choice for the girls. We make sure it’s offered, but we don’t ever say, ‘You have to do this.’"

THE MOVE IS NOT without opposition. Several Catholic leaders have spoken out against the idea of giving free condoms to teenagers inside T.C. Williams High School. One of the dissenting voices is Father Dennis Kleinmann, pastor of St. Mary’s Catholic Church in Old Town. He says the free condoms will be perceived as a tacit stamp of approval for sexual activity.

"Our position would be that they shouldn’t be having sex," said Kleinmann. "And that if you are handing these out you are encouraging it."

Another Catholic leader who has spoken out publicly is Father John Cregan, pastor of Blessed Sacrament Church. During a public hearing on the budget proposal funding the school system’s portion of the operating costs, Cregan vigorously opposed the idea. He was particularly concerned about the lack of parental consent required by the clinic before teens are given birth control or referrals for abortions.

"It’s immoral," said Cregan. "They call this ‘family planning,’ but an unwed teen girl is not a family."

The clinic is expected to open for the first day of classes this autumn.