Health Services to Students, Families, and Staff Through School Based Health Centers (SBHC)
According to studies completed by Harvard and the Centers for Disease
Control and Prevention, School-Based Health Centers are associated with improved healthcare outcomes such as:
- Reductions student out of class time
- Drop in absence rates
- Fewer emergency room visits
- Improved mental health & well-being
- Increased grade point average
- Increased graduation rates
- Increased student, staff, family engagement
- Decreased drop out rates
- Reductions in suspensions and expulsions
- Reduced staff illnesses (fewer subs)
- Decreased time away from work for caregivers
- Increased connectedness to other community resources
- Increased trust in the healthcare system, long-term
- Improved physical health today and tomorrow!
Given all these positive outcomes and the fact that equitable access to healthcare is a real issue for TPS students, the district has partnered with community organizations to build financially sustainable, student-centered, full-time, school-based health centers. TPS now offers comprehensive health care centers, telehealth services as well as mobile dental and vision screening services, and pharmacy delivery access to students, their families, and staff. TPS comprehensive health care centers provide acute care, chronic disease management, sports physicals, immunizations, mental and behavioral health supports and screenings, and collaborative referrals to our partners.
More on SBHCs
TPS has six comprehensive SBHCs at Start, Bowsher, Rogers, Scott, Woodward, and Waite. Each SBHC is fully staffed each day from 7:30 to 4:00 p.m., with a Nurse practitioner, medical technician or LPN, center receptionist and a licensed behavioral health specialist.
Health Services at TPS is actively involved the the Healthy Lucas County Coalition to improve health care access and equity throughout Lucas County.
The district received funds to support these services: