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Our Work School-Based Health Initiative

Supporting new and existing partnerships between schools and health care providers.

The School-Based Health Initiative supports quality, convenient health care for students and their families in a safe, familiar place. We support partnerships between schools and health care providers to create school-based health centers in communities that need them most.

Providing health services in school settings helps kids miss less school and supports better academic outcomes. Untreated health issues create challenges for students in all areas of their lives, including the classroom. Untreated mental illness, dental infections, and medical illnesses such as asthma commonly cause excessive absences, classroom behavioral challenges, and poor academic performance. The ripple effect of these issues can extend into critical school metrics such as attendance and graduation rates. Addressing these health issues can help students reach their full academic potential and achieve greater personal success.

School-based health centers provide various health services, including primary care, behavioral health, and dental care. They are flexible and can provide services based on the needs of each community. For example, some health centers offer services in the school building, others bring a mobile unit to the school, and some provide telehealth services.

Since 2020, we have supported the startup of school-based health centers that serve 58 of the state’s highest-need schools.

In 2022, these school-based health centers delivered health services to more than 1,200 patients.

Read our 2022 Annual Report for more highlights!

Learn More

Our Support

In this initiative, we provide grants to develop new and expand existing school-based health programs and school-based health centers and support their success. Funding is available for both health partners and school districts.

All funding under this initiative is by invitation only. 

Contact

Need assistance?

Kelsey Gummer
Senior Program Officer