Reply to Community Health Discussion on School Health Issues

 Reply to Discussion 250-275 words, APA format, scholarly sources

Schools have become the de facto provider of nutritional services for many children and teens, and more and more commonly, basic health care like annual exams and vaccinations.

The financial model for school-based health centers (SBHCs) varies from community to community. Included in the basic building blocks for sustainable programs are patient revenue (third-party and self-pay), public and private-sector grants, and in-kind partner support to cover non-billable expenses (School Based Health Alliance).

School-based health centers (SBHCs) provide medical, mental/behavioral, dental, and vision care directly in schools where young people spend much of their time, maximizing their opportunity to learn and grow. SBHCs increase access to health services for children, families, and communities, which ultimately leads to positive short- and long-term outcomes in service of a broad range of stakeholders (Arenson 2019). As well, SBHCs may promote social mobility and improve health equity by meeting the needs of disadvantaged populations and removing barriers to health care services (Knopf 2016).

References:

Arenson, M., Hudson, P. J., Lee, N., & Lai, B. (2019). The Evidence on School-Based Health Centers: A Review. Global pediatric health, 6, 2333794X19828745. doi:10.1177/2333794X19828745

Knopf JA, Finnie RK, Peng Y, Hahn RA, Truman BI, Vernon-Smiley M, Johnson VC, Johnson RL, Fielding JE, Muntaner C, Hunt PC, Phyllis Jones C, Fullilove MT, 2016. Community Preventive Services Task Force.  School-Based Health Centers to Advance Health Equity: A Community Guide Systematic Review. Am J Prev Med., Jul; 51(1):114-26.

School Based Health Alliance (nd). Who pays for SBHCs? Retrieved from https://www.sbh4all.org/school-health-care/school-based-health-care-financing/