School‐Based Health Centers in the United States: Roots, Reality, and Potential

Abstract

BACKGROUNDGiven the amount of time children and adolescents spend in school, these locations may be ideal for simultaneously supporting young people's health and academic achievement. School‐based health centers (SBHCs) not only bring care to students in accessible and familiar locations, these centers also provide guidance for young people during a life stage when they are establishing lifelong health behavior habits.METHODSThis article examines the literature exploring the impact of SBHCs from the perspective of multiple stakeholder groups including students, guardians, school personnel, community members, providers, hospital administrators, public health officials, and insurers.RESULTSStudies describe the positive effects of SBHCs on students' health and educational outcomes. SBHCs are generally associated with decreased health care disparities among students, accelerated treatment, and increased school attendance.CONCLUSIONSAdditional research exploring strategies for optimizing SBHC's economic efficiency and tailoring SBHC services to meet the needs of vulnerable patient populations is essential. Investigation into the impacts of SBHCs on community stakeholders outside of the student population is also vital.

Screening, Monitoring, and Referral to Treatment for Young Adolescents at an Urban School‐Based Health Center

“…13 SBHCs play a critical role in promoting health equity and help reduce health disparities by improving access to and utilization of care for socially and economically disadvantaged youth who are more likely to experience depression and behavioral/conduct problems. 2,3,[13][14][15][16][17] Procedures for annual mental health screening in our health system were first established in a network of pediatric and family medicine ambulatory sites, including two high school SBHCs, in order to routinize and improve rates of school-age and adolescent mental health screening. 18 Following the success of this initiative, routine mental health screening and linkage to onsite mental health services were expanded to other SBHCs in this large urban network.…”

The Quality and Utilization of School Health Services of a State University in the Philippines

“…This finding is also supported by the study of Martin and Sorensen (2020) that school-based health centers are linked to improved utilization of health care services, better health outcomes, and reduced substance use. Furthermore, the results are reinforced by the study of Dunfee (2020), where school-based health centers and the utilization of health services therein found a positive effect on students' health and educational outcome.…”

Interprofessional Student Perceptions of Planning and Implementing a Student-led, Faculty-guided Rural Health Clinic

“…Additionally, SBHCs often serve more than the student, including reaching the entire family, school staff, non-class-attending students, and community members (Dunfee, 2020). While SBHCs decrease health disparities, they also contribute to academic success by decreasing time away from school and increasing attendance (Leroy et al, 2017).…”