Why School-Based Health Centers?
Access to Health Care For All Children
School-based health centers provide health care to all children who have parental permission, regardless of insurance coverage or ability to pay.
Regular Preventive Care
When health care is far away, expensive, or difficult to access, children are less likely to receive regular preventative care. School-based health centers offer care where the children are – in schools.
Keeping Children in School
School-based health centers help keep children in school and ready to learn, treating acute and chronic health problems immediately and returning students to class as soon as possible.
Strong Parent and School Support
When parents give permission for their child to be seen at a school-based health center, they know they will not have to miss work to care for minor problem, and that their child will receive prompt attention from health providers trained at working with youth. School administrators and teachers are extremely supportive of school-based health centers because health centers allow them to focus on their role of educating students who are healthy and ready to learn.
Why will the School-Based Health Center for Schools be beneficial to me as a Parent?
Ease and Convenience
School-based health can play an important role in helping families manage physical and mental healthcare needs of their children. This delivery of care is a convenient way to get your child seen by a provider – no more leaving work to take your child to the doctor. A SBHC will give a consistent care provider relationship – no more switching providers to fit your schedule or worrying about changes in insurance.
The goal of a school-based health center is to minimize time your child is out of class and therefore maximizes your child’s time learning. Students that receive school-based health care have fewer long- term health issues and improved academic outcomes.
Family maintain complete control over what health supports your child receives or does not receive.
Will a School-based Health Center help our Teachers?
Improves Effectiveness of Teachers
Teachers cannot be as effective if students are not in class, healthy and engage. School-based health care connects students to health care providers in a way that minimizes overall disruption to their learning activities (e.g. reduces student early dismissals and tardiness). Research also shows a positive impact of school health care on graduation rates, absenteeism, tardiness, grade promotion, withdrawal/dropout rates, failing grades and disciplinary problems.
Teachers can support school-based health initiatives by alerting providers of possible student health issues to help them receive care when need is greatest. On the other hand, teachers will have additional information on student behavior that will help them better teach the whole student.
What if we already have a Primary Care Provider?
Partnerships and Collaboration in Healthcare
Patients may miss appointments, not follow prescribed treatment plans, and overall, not reach their health potential. Your primary care provider will now have a partner in the school helping ensure their treatment plans are followed and new health issues are flagged. The school-based health integrated services, including ones that student may have been receiving at their primary care practice, are now available for whole-person care (e.g. nutrition, pharmacy, etc.).
Your primary care provider will receive increased patient referrals from our school-based health center and all needed patient information will be communicated in a HIPAA-compliant fashion. Our SBHC does not seek to replace any student’s current provider – it serves as another touch point for students to receive health support and help ensure they comply with their treatment schedules. We believe your primary care provider will be pleased that your student is overall healthier and more likely to achieve their full health academic potential.
How does a school-based health center benefit the general community?
High-quality Health Care
The more difficult it is for students to access high-quality health care, the greater the burden will be on their academic careers and families’ working schedules. School-based health care supports the community by providing students a consistent way to receive needed care and families needed support and convenience.
Research shows a positive impact of school health care on community academic outcomes like graduation rates, absenteeism, tardiness, grade promotion, withdrawal/dropout rates, failing grades and disciplinary problems. School-based health also leads to both improved community health outcomes, including fewer hospitalizations and emergency room visits. School-based health care helps to reduce disparities as all students can avail themselves to high quality very much needed health services.
Why Partner with Community Health & Wellness Partners?
Whole Person, Whole Community
CHWP is inspired to provide all members of our community with access to quality health and wellness services. Our doors are open to everyone with no economic barriers to care. CHWP turns no one away, and we connect our patients to all the resources they need to enhance their lives and provide hope to get well.
CHWP is changing lives in our community through a vision of caring individuals. Their goal is to touch and serve all students within the schools. CHWP has been serving residents of our community for a long time and have the vision to change lives within our community by eliminating barriers and providing a standard of healthcare that improves the well-being of the whole person.
Passion is a part of their core. Every member of their team, whether it is a medical professional or the staff who support them, embraces their patients and families with smiles, genuine kindness and thoughtful care to help them get well – regardless of the situation. The depth of knowledge and expertise along with the genuine care for the members of the community shared by their staff is changes lives. The innovative and tenacious way that CHWP serves is purposeful and nothing short of remarkable.
CHWP has a strong commitment to offer outstanding patient care. They take time to listen, to get to the core of an issue and get to know each of their patients at a level that allows them to treat the whole person and whole situation. CHWP’s mission is to provide quality, whole-person, patient-centered health care to anyone and everyone in our community.
