Health Centers and Schools: Uniting for Young People's Success

School-based health care is a powerful investment in the health and academic potential of children and adolescents. This model delivers convenient, accessible, and wide-ranging health care services to students where they already spend most of their time – in school. At the heart of the model is the partnership between the schools and health centers that give or support the services offered to students. Many health centers across the country are building partnerships with schools to expand access to quality care and address the powerful socio-economic conditions that unjustly influence health outcomes of low-income children and adolescents in their communities. Since 2008, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS), Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) National Cooperative Agreement, has funded the School-Based Health Alliance to provide opportunities for health centers to engage in shared training and learning to boost health outcomes for school-aged children and adolescents. Rebranded as the Youth Safety Net Project, this work covers a diverse set of activities, including “Health Centers and Schools: Uniting for Young People’s Success,” a resource and training module for non-SBHC health centers on creating or expanding school partnerships that enhance student access to services and resources, improve care coordination and academic outcomes, and increase family and community engagement. Recently the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation funded the America’s Promise Alliance to explore how these partnerships can develop and thrive. As a partner to this collaborative, NACHC will provide resources and technical assistance to selected collaborations across the country, including one between Mosaic Medical Health Center and Better Together in central Oregon. Along with six other community organizations, Better Together and Mosaic are partnering with Crook County School District in a comprehensive, whole-school effort to create healthier students (and staff) and improve the overall delivery and experience of behavioral health care for youth. Panelists will share their experiences and discuss the outlooks for their efforts, both locally and nationally. Attendees will leave with tools to begin or increase their own health center and school partnerships to manage school-based health centers (SBHCs), implement vaccine clinics at schools, and educate teachers on key health topics