School‐based health centers: Strategies for meeting the physical and mental health needs of children and families

Abstract

School-based health centers are fast becoming a part of mainstream health care in the United States. The centers provide enhanced access to comprehensive physical and mental health services for children and families. Although originally established in urban areas, they can also have a significant impact on service delivery for children in rural and suburban areas. This manuscript describes the role and primary functions of school-based health centers, describes several important issues in developing and implementing the centers, and reviews the effectiveness of services provided through school-based health centers. School psychologists are in an excellent position to provide leadership for the establishment of school-based health centers. Participation in school-based health services delivery enables school psychologists to expand their role and broadens both their client population and the range of services.

Access and Utilization Patterns of School-Based Health Centers at Urban and Rural Elementary and Middle Schools

“…Most prevalent ICD-9 general diagnostic categories by year, region, student sociodemographics, insurance status, and chronic health conditions (n514,050) higher than urban students, which is consistent with previous findings that also found higher rates of use in rural areas. 17,18 The findings in this study suggest that utilization in rural communities may be less dependent on insurance status as an overall lack of access to health-care services in their community. This is further supported by the findings that rural students had a significantly greater percentage of visits for acute illnesses and mental health issues compared with urban students.…”

“…17 For example, Crespo and Shaler identified higher rates of enrollment and utilization in rural SBHCs compared with urban SBHCs in West Virginia. 18,19 But whether these differences were a function of differential access to health care outside of school or other factors such as differences in health insurance remains unclear.…”

Rural behavioral health services for children and adolescents: An ecological and community psychology analysis

“…A comprehensive program in the early childhood, elementary, and secondary school programs in rural Pennsylvania integrated law enforcement and mental health into school-based prevention efforts (Welsh, Domitrovich, Bieman, & Lang, 2003). School-based health centers, originally developed in inner-city urban areas, have been found to be effective in reaching adolescents and their families in a nonstigmatizing environment in rural West Virginia (Brown & Bolen, 2003). Local paraprofessionals have also supported prevention and treatment in some rural areas together with school nurses and community health and mental health centers (Gamm, Hutchison, Dabney, & Dorsey, 2003).…”

The school‐based health center as a resource for prevention and health promotion

“…School-based health centers (SBHCs) represent an important interdisciplinary approach to providing comprehensive physical and mental health care for children and adolescents (Brown & Bolen, 2003b). SBHCs typically include preventive, routine, and acute care services for students, including reproductive health services (Santelli et al, 2003).…”