CHILDREN’S HEALTH CENTERS: STUDY SHOWS DRAMATIC INCREASE
As the national debate on children's health insurance heatsThis is part of the California Healthline Daily Edition, a summary of health policy coverage from major news organizations. Sign up for an email subscription.
up, Making the Grade, a national resource center on school-based
health care, announced yesterday that there are now nearly 1,000
school-based health centers in the U.S., "a 50% increase over the
number identified in the same survey only two years ago."
According to the survey of adolescent health offices in the 50
states, conducted during the summer of 1996, there are 913
school-based children's health centers in the U.S. Julia Lear,
director of Making the Grade, said that the "stunning growth in
school-based centers is a natural outgrowth of increasing
enthusiasm for the concept from all quarters." She said,
"School-based health centers have been endorsed by community
leaders, educators, public officials, and health care providers
and I suspect that what we're reporting today is only the first
wave of a dramatic upsurge in making health care more accessible
for children."
SERVICES: According to Making the Grade, school-based
health centers generally provide a range of medical and mental
health services within schools. The centers often provide acute
care, mental health counseling, health screenings, and asthma
treatments, that "otherwise would not exist or would be limited
to expensive after-hour clinic and emergency room care." The
programs are financed through state funds, coupled with support
from community leaders, local schools, hospitals and community
health centers. During 1995-1996, 34 states allocated almost $42
million in state and federal block grant money to school-based
centers, an eight percent increase from 1994. Making the Grade
notes that private sector dollars have also been an important
funding source.
STATE ACTION: According to the survey, New York has the
greatest number of school-based centers (149), followed by
Florida (66). Other states with high numbers of school-based
health centers are Texas (60), Connecticut (50), Pennsylvania
(39), Maryland (38), California (37), Massachusetts (36),
Michigan (34) and Oregon (34). New York Gov. George Pataki (R)
said that the centers are "a key component to improve the health
of children and families." Wil Trower, CEO of Florida's North
Broward Hospital District, said, "We've found the uninsured and
underinsured populations in our county are growing much faster
than our ability to keep up with their acute care needs. We
created school-based health centers to allow us to deliver more
primary and preventive care and keep kids out of emergency rooms"
(Making the Grade release, 3/18).