School based health centers (SBHC) provide healthcare services to youth and their families. In response to the global health crisis from COVID-19, schools' closures have impacted the access to vital services during times of increased need for physical and mental healthcare. Youth of minority racial and ethnic backgrounds living in urban settings face compounding factors including adverse childhood events, economic disadvantages, and barriers to healthcare. The mental health response of SBHCs in New York City as it relates to population specific factors such as family supports, economic considerations, and healthcare correlates is explored. The role of school based health centers and recommendations for interventions addressing mental health concerns in youth during COVID-19 are discussed.
School based health centers (SBHCs) are often at the front line of medical and mental health services for students in the schools they serve. Citywide school closures in New York City in March 2020 and ongoing social distancing procedures resulted in significant changes in SBHC services as well as access to these services. Furthermore, the combination of COVID-19 related stressors and the increased likelihood of adverse childhood events experienced by urban youth creates conditions for the exacerbation of mental health concerns among youth in metropolitan areas. The following article will explore the role of SBHCs as community agents focused on prevention and reduction of mental health concerns prior and during the current pandemic, as well as existing health disparities experienced by urban youth populations. The authors will also discuss research examining mental health concerns already present in global populations affected by COVID-19 as it may foreshadow the challenges to be faced by U.S. urban youth. Lastly, the authors describe recommendations, practice implications, and opportunities for preventative strategies and therapeutic interventions in school based health settings.
Impact and ImplicationsSchool based health centers provide health care services to youth and their families. Times of crisis often result in school closures preventing access to vital services during times of increased need for physical and mental health care. The role of school based health centers and recommendations for interventions addressing mental health concerns in youth during COVID-19 are discussed.
The COVID-19 pandemic has brought new stressors, which have led to adjustment difficulties or exacerbation of existing mental health concerns for many students and their families. Yet, school closings and social distancing measures pose barriers to obtaining mental health care through school-based mental health providers. The present manuscript aims to address many of these barriers through a model entitled, “Multiphasic Process Model of Interventions.” This model illustrates stressors and interventions corresponding to distinct COVID-19 and school closures phases (i.e., early, acute, reentry, and postphases) and describes ways school-based mental health providers can respond to students’ mental health needs within each phase. The manuscript is organized in three sections by phase: Section A: Stressors youth and their families faced during each phase, Section B: Theory-driven interventions to address corresponding stressors, and Section C: Application of the proposed model using a real student client as an example. These model components are described in ways that would allow for generalizability across diverse educational settings and large-scale social issues requiring intervention.
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