Role Of SBHCs
School-based health centers provide convenient comprehensive, preventive and primary physical and behavioral health services for public school children at the school site. Since students perform better when they show up for class, healthy, and ready to learn, school-based health centers (SBHCs) bring the healthcare services to the school. This helps students avoid health-related absences and to get support to succeed in the classroom. SBHCs may vary based on community need and resources, but they also share common characteristics. SBHCs:
- Are located in schools or on school grounds.
- Work cooperatively within the school to become an integral part of the school.
- Provide a comprehensive range of services that meet the specific physical and behavioral health needs of the young people in the community.
- Employ a multidisciplinary team of providers to care for the students: nurse practitioners, registered nurses, physician assistants, social workers, physicians, alcohol and drug counselors, and other health professionals.
- Require parents to sign written consents for their children to enroll in the SBHC
- Have an advisory board consisting of community representatives, parents, youth, and family organizations, to provide planning and oversight
Information collected by the National Assembly on School Based Health Care.
NASBHC, http://www.nasbhc.org/.
