Wurzweiler Team Studies Effectiveness of School-Based Health Centers Apr 29, 2010 -- Millions of school age children in the United States have limited access to comprehensive health services because of financial, geographical and other barriers to care. That’s where School-Based Health Centers (SBHC) come in. A program that began in the 1970s, SBHCs are setting up comprehensive health care centers staffed by a team of professionals in elementary, middle and high schools throughout the country. However, since the passage of the No Child Left Behind Act in 2001, all school programs, including SBHCs, are held to higher standards of accountability if they are to continue to exist. A research team from Yeshiva University’s Wurzweiler School of Social Work, headed by Dr. Jessica Strolin-Goltzman, and Montefiore Medical Center – which operates 16 SBHCs in Bronx public schools – recently partnered to thoroughly study the effectiveness of SBHCs. The study was conducted in three stages: in the first, the learning environments of schools with SBHCs and those without, both in New York City, were analyzed; in the second, any non-mandated health education and programs offered by SBHCs were described so that the most successful practices could be shared with other centers; and in the third, the academic outcomes of SBHC users and non-users in three schools – elementary, middle, and high school – were compared. As for the findings, phase one yielded results that showed a positive correlation between schools that have SBHCs and perceptions of school environment. The second phase suggested that it is essential for SBHCs to share knowledge and programming tips, to help foster a collaborative, information-sharing climate among centers. One of the most noteworthy practices employed by SBHCs is their peer-education programs, allowing students to share their own knowledge in a relatable manner. Finally, phase three’s results indicated that students who utilized SBHC services showed higher levels of school connectedness, higher rates of promotion to the next grade level and significantly higher GPAs than students who did not utilize the services. “School-Based Health Centers, which unmistakably improve access to health care for hard to reach and underserved children and youth, address issues that hinder educational outcomes such as GPA and school connectedness,” explained Dr. Strolin-Goltzman, assistant professor at Wurzweiler. “Thanks to the research, we see that the centers give students an edge when it comes to GPA and commitment to educational futures. Perhaps we need to be considering expanding funds to create more health and mental health centers within the school environment to give all children the best chance to thrive academically.”