Employee AccessSHC News
Grant Funding Available to Support School-Based Health Centers
June 21, 2011
School Health Connection announces the availability of close to $1 million in grant funding to support the sustainability of school-based health centers in Orleans Parish. Orleans Parish schools with existing school-based health centers or medical providers looking to sponsor a school-based health center are eligible to apply. The Application deadline is July 22, 2011, 5 p.m. CST.
Download the Request for Proposal>>
Questions and inquiries:
Marsha Broussard
(504) 301-9851
mbroussard@lphi.org
First-of-Its-Kind School-Based Community Health Clinic
Opens in New Orleans
December, 2010
Stemming from a partnership between the New Orleans Recovery School District and the Louisiana Public Health Institute’s School Health Connection (LPHI-SHC), program, the LSU Health System recently opened the first full-service school-based health clinic that also serves the community at large. The facility development costs were funded through Kellogg funds administered by LPHI-SHC.
The new health center is the successor to two temporary Algiers clinics that were among more than 90 sites supported by the Primary Care Access and Stabilization Grant. But the L.B. Landry facility stands apart as the first comprehensive community clinic that is based in a school, a model that public health and education officials see as an example for the future of American healthcare infrastructure.
The clinic, with its own first-floor entrance on the newly constructed campus, has two waiting rooms. One will process students; and the other is for community pediatrics and adults. Behavioral health services will be offered for all ages.
Children and students will be served by a pediatrician and a school nurse. The adult services staff will include an internist, two family medicine practitioners and one family nurse practitioner, with at least two of those professionals on staff daily. The behavioral health services will include a social worker with counseling credentials who will offer initial assessment and make referrals to a staff psychiatrist who will work by appointment.
The facility will also offer smoking-cessation programs, diabetes education and other outreach programs for the community. The L.B. Landry clinic will accept all forms of insurance and other patients regardless of their ability to pay.
The Landry School / Community Clinic will definitely be a model for future school based health centers and School Health Connection will be working closely with the Interim Hospital of Louisiana (LSUHSC), the Recovery School District, and the L.B. Landry School Community to monitor its success.
New study links school-based health centers to reduced risky behaviors among youth
February 1st, 2010
A new study released by School Health Connection suggests that adolescents with access to school-based health centers not only receive quality health services, but they may also be less likely to engage in behaviors that put their health at risk, including drug use, risky sexual activity, violence, smoking, unhealthy eating habits and lack of exercise.
The SHC report, School Based Health Centers are Making a Difference: An Evaluation Study of School-Based Health Centers in Orleans Parish, compared survey responses from public high school students with and without access to a school-based health center and provides strong evidence that SBHCs are making a positive difference in the clinical, behavioral and overall health of adolescents.
Download the Evaluation Summary
Key Findings from the Report
When compared to students without access to a SBHC, students with access to SBHCs were:
- more likely to have seen a behavioral health counselor.
- more likely to see a mental health specialist if they had suicidal tendencies.
- less likely to engage in high risk behaviors including substance use, sexual behaviors, violent behaviors, smoking, unhealthy dietary behaviors and physical inactivity.
- less likely to visit an emergency room.
- more likely to be physically active and actively try to reduce their weight if they were obese.
- more likely to have been diagnosed with diabetes.
While the report shows clear benefits associated with care provided by SBHCs, it also highlights the value of a comprehensive, coordinated school health system supported by sustained and secure funding for SBHCs as a part of the state’s annual Medicaid and budget planning.
“The report provides strong evidence that school-based health centers help improve student health in general while serving as an effective and necessary medical care model for underserved children and teens,” says Marsha Broussard, Director of the School Health Connection program. “The growing body of evidence regarding the overall benefits of SBHCs is further underscored by the recognition and inclusion of SBHCs in the House and Senate versions of the National Health Care Reform Bill. In line with national health reform outcomes, it is our hope that Louisiana legislators will work to cut through the red tape that keeps existing SBHCs underfunded and unable to realize their full impact on student health.”
School-based health centers provide greater access to primary and preventive care services to students, including those who are uninsured, underinsured or who may not have access to other healthcare facilities or care. Services offered by school-based health clinics range from comprehensive and sports physicals, immunizations, behavioral health screenings, diagnosis and treatment of clinical symptoms and conditions such as hypertension, diabetes, asthma and more.
Currently, 11 schools in Metro New Orleans have an operating school-based health center, while three additional schools should be up and running soon.
“Whether it’s simply treating a common illness or recognizing a child dealing with the silent crisis of anxiety and depression, school-based health centers provide the necessary care to ensure that our kids stay healthy and continue learning,” said Dr. Michaela King, pediatrician and practicing physician at O’Perry Walker high school. “We’ve seen everything from the flu to an undiagnosed congenital heart condition, and through our working relationships with external healthcare providers, we are able to get students the specialized care they need.”
“Our school-based health center has been an invaluable resource for our students,” said Alex Hochron, Health Sciences Academy Principal at Walter L. Cohen High School. “Having a health center on school grounds means healthier students and less time out of the classroom. I don’t want to imagine where our students would be without it.”
Additional Articles About the Impact of School-based Health Centers
