The Case for School-Based Health Centers

Federal Recommendations | SBHCs & Health Equity | Case Studies

The number of school-based health centers continues to grow because the need is great and impact is deep.

Doctors know it: When we can prevent health issues from developing into something worse, that to me epitomizes the strength of a school-based health center.

Educators see it: The reality is that many of our children come to school sick because they have nowhere else to go. So it just makes sense to have a school-based health clinic as a key component to providing a quality education.

Students feel it: Our school health center has everything! Comfort. Respect. Honesty.

School is a hard place for many young people. They might be labeled as ‘low achieving’ or ‘angry,’ ‘apathetic’ or ‘defiant.’ When these young people come into a space that lifts up their hopes and dreams, they are able to re-position themselves in their own lives and within the school community as activists, artists, advocates and leaders. This chance to matter, to be an agent of change, has a profound impact on young people’s sense of themselves and their imaginative capacity to hold a positive future.

Jenn Rader, Executive Director, The James Morehouse Project, El Cerrito High School