Locations | Benefits

There are three types of School Health Centers in Washington, DC: School-based, school-linked, and co-located.

What is a School-Based Health Center?
A health center that is located on or near a school facility of a school district or board; is organized through a school, community, and health provider relationships; is administered by a sponsoring facility and provides, at a minimum, comprehensive primary health services during school hours to children and adolescents by health professionals in accordance with state and local laws and regulations, established standards, and community practice.

Services Provided:

1. Physical - Comprehensive health assessments, diagnosis, and treatment of minor, acute, and chronic medical conditions and referrals to and follow-up for specialty care
2. Mental - Mental health assessments, crisis intervention, counseling, treatment, and referral to a continuum of services including emergency psychiatric care, community support programs, inpatient care, and outpatient programs
3. Dental - Various health centers may also provide a variety of dental health services
4. Social and Health Education Services may also be provided depending on the health center

What is a School-Linked Health Center?
A health center located outside of the school that has a formal referral affiliation with a school to provide students with comprehensive primary and preventive health services. Health Schools, Health Communities Program Directory, Bureau of Primary Health Care, HRSA.

Common Features:

• They are located off school grounds
• The linked health centers have established methods of referral, communication and follow up with their school partners to improve the overall quality and continuity of care
• The scope of services may be broader than school-based health centers
• They often serve more than one school
• The linked centers often have extended hours outside of the normal school day hours
• Services may be provided through a mobile medical unit

What is a Co-Located School-Based Health Center?
A health center located on school grounds that has a formal referral affiliation with the school to provide comprehensive primary and preventive health care services to students during school hours. It may also serve as a community clinic and is open during hours that extent beyond the school day.
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LOCATIONS:
There are currently four School Health Centers in the District of Columbia: Two school-based, one co-located, and one school-linked (mobile medical unit).

Eastern Senior High School - Ward 6
1700 East Capitol Street, NE
Washington, DC 20003
Operated by: Unity Health Care, Inc
Enrollment: ~700 students (~82% of school)

Services Provided:
• Adolescent primary care
• Acute care
• Medical and social case management
• HIV/AIDS and STD Testing and Counseling
• Preventative health education and screenings
• Routine Lab work
• Community and medical specialty referrals

H.D. Woodson Senior High School - Ward 7
75500 Eads Street, NE
Washington, DC 20019
Operated by: District of Columbia Department of Health with Medical Oversight provided by:
Georgetown University Hospital.
Enrollment: 535 students (~63% of school)

Services Provided:
• Adolescent primary care
• Acute care
• Preventative health education and screenings
• Oral Health Care
• Routine lab work
• HIV/AIDS Testing and Counseling
• Community Referrals
• Community special events

Marie Reed Elementary School - Ward 1
12250 Champlain Street, NW
Washington, DC 20009
Operated by: Community of Hope Health Service

Services Provided:
• Primary care for children and adults
• Pre-natal care
• Acute care services
• Dental Care
• Routine lab work
• Preventative health education and screenings
• Behavioral health services
• Case Management

Kids Mobile Medical Clinic of Georgetown University Hospital
Serving Anacostia High School (Ward 8) and Spingarn High School (Ward 5)
3800 Reservoir Road, NW-2PHC
Washington, DC 20007
Operated by: Georgetown University Hospital

Services Provided:
• Adolescent primary care
• Acute care
• Medical and social case management
• Preventative health education and screenings
• Routine lab work

School-Based Mental Health
Programs operated by the District of Columbia Department of Mental Health are currently located in D.C. schools. An array of mental health services are offered at each school, including prevention, early intervention, brief treatment, consultation, focused assessments, and crisis response.

• DC Public Schools
• Benning Elementary School
• Bunker Hill Elementary School
• Burrville Elementary School
• Charles Young Elementary School
• Davis Elementary School
• Drew Elementary School
• Emery Elementary School
• Garrison Elementary School
• Gibbs Elementary School
• Houston Elementary School
• JC Nalle Elementary School
• LaSalle Elementary School
• Myrtilla Miner Elementary School
• River Terrace Elementary School
• RK Webb Elementary School
• Turner Elementary School
• Walker Jones Elementary School
• Merritt Educational Center
• PR Harris Educational Center
• Thurgood Marshall Educational Center
• Garnett-Patterson Middle School
• Kelly Miller Middle School
• Kramer Middle School
• MacFarland Middle School
• Ron Brown Middle School
• Eliot Junior High School
• Browne Junior High School
• Bell Multicultural High School
• Eastern Senior High School
• Spingarn Senior High School
• Charter Schools
• Booker T. Washington Public Charter School
• Cesar Chaves Public Charter High School
• Childrenís Studio Elementary School
• Friendship Edison PC Collegiate Academy
• Friendship Edison Blow-Pierce PC School
• Friendship Edison Woodridge PC School
• Maya Angelou Public Charter School
• Meridian Public Charter School
• Nia Community PC School
• Options Public Charter School
• SEED School of Washington, D

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BENEFITS

Today over 1700 School Health Centers deliver primary, preventive, and early intervention services to nearly 2 million children of all grade levels in urban, rural and suburban schools across 45 states. In the District of Columbia, 4 School Health Centers serve thousands of students. With many more medically underserved children in the District'­s public schools, there is a need to expand. Benefits of School Health Centers include:

• Accessible health care (physical, mental and dental) for students who are uninsured, underinsured, or might otherwise not seek care
• Identification, prevention, and treatment of chronic health conditions, like asthma and diabetes, through screening, and the use of evidence-based treatments
• Greater availability and access to mental health services including grief therapy, anger management groups, and suicide prevention interventions
• Better academic performance by decreasing absenteeism, tardiness, and school discipline or behavior problems, factors which also help children stay focused and engaged in the classroom
• Cost savings by reducing the number of inappropriate ER visits and avoidable hospitalizations.

Uniquely Poised:
School Health Centers are located in the school or on the school property and are strategically located in areas serving low-income minority children - a population that disproportionately experience disparities in health care access. Data shows that students widely accept and use the health centers. On average, 65% of the student body registers with the health center, and 87% of enrollees use the center at least once each school year.

Promote Healthy Lifestyles:
School Health Centers provide youth with critical information needed to establish a lifelong habit of good health. At a time when childhood obesity and Type 2 diabetes in youth is on the rise, centers are uniquely placed to provide nutritional guidance, medical evaluation, support groups, and promote exercise and behavioral change to deal with obesity.

Evidence Based:
Studies by John Hopkins University, Emory University, and other respected institutions show that School Health Centers decrease absenteeism, tardiness, and school discipline or behavior problems. Additionally they show that centers save money by reducing the number of visits people make to the emergency room for the wrong reasons.

Smart Investment:
It is well-documented that many of the District's children, particularly adolescents, lack accessible, quality health care and fail to stay in school. Locating health care where the kids are located just makes sense if you want them to actually use it. Because of the unique vantage point and access to students, SHCs are able to reach out to all students to promote prevention and utilize early intervention techniques. They can help meet the immediate needs of those who don'­t have access to, or cannot afford, healthcare when they get sick.
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