Number of School-Based Health Centers Rises 20% over Last Two Years, Study Finds

The number of U.S. school-based health centers climbed to 1,380 in the 1999-2000 academic year, increasing 20% since 1998 and "nearly sevenfold" over the past decade, a recent survey released by George Washington University's Center for Health and Health Care in Schools found. According to the report, 45 states and the District of Columbia have school-based health centers, with 33 states providing grant support and 43 states allowing centers to bill Medicaid for patient care. In addition, school-based centers in 22 states serve as providers in Medicaid managed care networks. Typically, centers, organized by a local hospital or health center, provide primary care and mental health services to students. CHHCS Director Julia Graham Lear said the increase in centers marks "the transition of school-based health centers from the margins to the mainstream of the American health care system." While 38% of school-based health centers serve elementary school children, more than one-third focus on teens' health and emotional issues, the study says. Over the past decade, funding and political support for school-based health centers have "increased dramatically" in both "historically conservative and liberal" states. The number of school-based centers in Mississippi and Illinois "more than doubled," while the number increased by 65% in Wisconsin and 31% in Louisiana, the survey found. In addition, suburban areas have seen the "largest recent increases" in the numbers of school-based health centers, according to the survey. Some experts suggest the centers, "originally designed to serve students unable to afford or find care," have gained a "broader appeal." Paul Jellinek, vice president of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation, said, "This model of health care can work for all children, not just for those with poor access to care. Like shopping malls, frozen dinners and online banking, part of the beauty of school-based health centers is their convenience. They make life easier for parents, for their employers and for the students they serve. As the pace of society becomes more hectic, I think their appeal will become more universal" ( CHHCS release, 3/9).