Schoolwide screenings are a good way to get students in the health center; they can be used as an outreach mechanism and can increase the percentage of the student body that the health center serves.

Schoolwide screenings improve access to care by allowing health center staff to reach out proactively to students rather than waiting for students to walk in. Some students are less willing or even fearful of seeking help in a clinical setting, so it’s important for SBHCs to establish connections with students.

Schoolwide screenings can be conducted to identify students that would benefit the most from SBHC programs. Some examples include obesity, sexually transmitted infections, asthma, oral health, and mental health. Screenings can also be used as a means to register new students. Often these screenings are done with the incoming grade, such as kindergarten, 6th, or 9th, and are used as a way to register new students.

Schools and SBHCs have common goals: the health, wellbeing, and academic success of students. By participating in mandated and other important screenings across schools, grades, or classes, SBHCs can strengthen this natural collaboration.

In addition to screenings discussed above, SBHCs could participate in traditionally mandated screenings such as visual acuity, possibly conducting additional screenings and assisting with follow-up. Joint screening projects can strengthen the relationship between school and clinic personnel, and children and youth can benefit.

Young people who attend SBHC consistently express satisfaction with the services they receive, and find their SBHC providers to be more approachable than providers in traditional health centers.

In our experience, some youth, especially those in middle school and younger grades, may have fears and misconceptions about the services provided and may not come in for care on their own. Screening programs can serve as an excellent entry point to the SBHC for students who otherwise may not be aware of the clinic’s services, or are hesitant to come in for a visit.

Presenting opportunities for students to access the clinic along with their peers may create a safe space for learning about what the clinic has to offer while also dispelling misconceptions that may exist about becoming a clinic patient.

Schoolwide screenings may also benefit the financial sustainability of an SBHC. If your screening campaign can be structured in a way that includes billable visits or procedures, it can be an instrumental way to increase opportunities for revenue.

In the following section we discuss two of these strategies: bringing in staff from other centers for a concentrated and streamlined clinic day, and incorporating nursing and other health science student volunteers who can increase clinic capacity while engaging in the screenings as a service learning project.

Follow-up visits generated from screening campaigns can also increase opportunities for future billable visits. Screening campaigns can be part of a “smart financing” strategy to leverage multiple resources.

Consideration of which health indicators you seek to impact with the screening is essential. The goals of the screening can range from Healthy People goals, to site-specific areas you have identified as a need in your clinic or organization. Consider performing a needs assessment at your site before developing your screening program. This can not only help you determine how to best target your program, but also give you some baseline data to use later to evaluate its success.

Ideally, the screening program will include or lead to patient enrollment and future visits. Build in an opportunity for students to become more familiar with the SBHC and its services in a more comfortable way, such as in the company of classmates and friends.

Consider realistically what your clinic can handle based on your resources. If your school has a large student body, identify ways to reduce numbers either by only targeting specific grade levels and/or groups that are at highest risk. Develop a plan for whether and how to include students who are absent on the day of your program and how that follow-up will occur. If your aim is to reach the entire student body, consider spreading out the campaign so that smaller groups are screened at multiple times during the school year, rather than all at once.

Determine whether consent should be provided by the parent and/or student, and whether written or “opt-out” consent is most appropriate.

Students may sign their own consent for services covered under minor consent laws, whereas general medical and dental care must be done with parent or guardian consent. For a guide to minor consent laws in your area, consult an adolescent health law resource, such as the National Center for Youth Law.

School districts often have specific policies about whether and under what circumstances they allow “opt-out” consents: parents are notified and consent is implied unless parents specifically return the opt-out form. Save time by noting which students are already enrolled as patients of the SBHC, and thus may already have consents on file. When possible, attempt to obtain consent and/or patient registration forms before the day of the screening event, as this will speed up flow.

* Screening start age can vary