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Advancing the Role of School‐Based Health Centers in Driving Health Justice
Author(s) -
Damian April Joy,
Boyd Robert
Publication year - 2021
Publication title -
journal of school health
Language(s) - English
Resource type - Journals
SCImago Journal Rank - 0.851
H-Index - 86
eISSN - 1746-1561
pISSN - 0022-4391
DOI - 10.1111/josh.12999
Subject(s) - alliance , library science , center (category theory) , suite , citation , economic justice , community health , political science , art history , sociology , media studies , law , art , health care , computer science , chemistry , crystallography
School-based health centers (SBHCs) provide vulnerable children and youth in the United States with access to primary care, behavioral health care, oral health care, and vision care where they spend a large proportion of their time—at school. Over 6.3 million students in the United States are served by SBHCs. SBHCs are strategically located in low-resource neighborhoods and communities. As many as 89% of SBHCs provide access to one or more schools designated as Title I, meaning they receive federal financial assistance because of the high percentage of students from low-income families.1 Additionally, school populations with access to SBHCs have, on average, a higher percentage of enrolled students who identify as Latinx (38%) and African American (24%) compared to schools nationwide (24% and 15%, respectively), thereby targeting and reaching youth typically underserved by the health care system.1 There is a growing body of literature supporting the positive impact that SBHCs have on student health and education outcomes. One systematic review conducted by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) found that SBHCs are associated with significant improvements in health care use and outcomes, including a 70.6% reduction in asthma-related hospitalization and 15.8% decrease in asthma-related emergency visits, 15.5% increase in immunization, and 12.0% increase in other recommended preventive screening and counseling.2 Working at the intersection of health and education, SBHCs collaborate with school districts, school principals, teachers, school staff, families, and students. Parents do not miss work to take their child to the doctor, and students do not miss a half or full day of school to see the doctor. This collaboration, care coordination, and youth engagement results not only in improved student,