In policy statement “School-Based Health Centers and Pediatric Care,” the AAP writes:

School-based health centers (SBHCs) have become an important method of health care delivery for the youth of our nation. Although they only represent 1 aspect of a coordinated school health program approach, SBHCs have provided access to health care services for youth confronted with age, financial, cultural, and geographic barriers. A fundamental principle of SBHCs is to create an environment of service coordination and collaboration that addresses the health needs and well-being of youth with health disparities or poor access to health care services. Some pediatricians have concerns that these centers are in conflict with the primary care provider’s medical home. This policy provides an overview of SBHCs and some of their documented benefits, addresses the issue of potential conflict with the medical home, and provides recommendations that support the integration and coordination of SBHCs and the pediatric medical home practice.

Read the complete policy statement.

Cesar Chavez High School Health SLC Club at the Central Valley Y2Y Training in Riverbank, CA

The Y2Y Affiliate Program is in full-swing in eight communities across California. Each site has finished developing a research tool and will commence data collection soon! Return to the Youth in Action blog for more site-by-site updates from the CSHC Youth Board and some of our very own Y2Y youth.

Our numbers count! The data from the 2007 school-based health center census, spearheaded by the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC), were critical in helping us make the case for federal funding in health care reform.

By having qualitative and quantitative data, we successfully advocated to Congress and the White House that SBHCs are a great idea. Our policymakers responded, with $200 million so far – including $16 million for California alone.

That is why it is critical for SBHCs to complete this year’s census – so we can have current data as we continue advocating for policies that support healthy children and successful students.

Many thanks to the 23 SBHCs in California that have completed the census. We hope the rest of you will do it, too.

For information on how to complete the census, visit www.nasbhc.org.

Of the 45 grantees nationwide, four are in California: Oakland, Los Angeles, North Hollywood and San Ysidro.

The grants are part of federal health care reform, which for the first time in history includes a dedicated federal funding stream specifically for SBHCs. Section 4101(a) of the federal Patient Protection and Affordable Care Act (aka health care reform) designates $200 million over four years for the construction of and equipment for SBHCs.

This is a competitive grant process and the awards are distributed by the federal Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA). The funds are used for everything from renovation and electronic health records to mobile medical vehicles and equipment.

California’s school-based health centers that were awarded a total of $1,664,695 in health care reform grants are:

• Asian Pacific Health Care Venture (Los Angeles) $494,300
• Centro de Salud de la Comunidad (San Ysidro) $485,861
• Oakland Unified School District $423,098
• Valley Community Clinic (North Hollywood) $261,436

February is a great time to celebrate our successes. We encourage you to put a voice and face to your SBHCs with videos, poems, photos and stories. You could even win $200! The theme for the 2012 SBHC Awareness Month is “Sharing Our Stories.”

The National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC) has a variety of resources to help school-based health centers plan events throughout February. There is also a story-telling contest with cash prizes. Everyone who submits a story will be entered into a raffle for a chance to win $100. And winners in each category will win $200.