| Session Title: Health Evaluation TIG Business Meeting and Presentation: An Evaluation of the Impact of School-based Health Centers on Children's Health Outcomes |
| Business Meeting Session 376 to be held in Panzacola Section F3 on Thursday, Nov 12, 4:30 PM to 6:00 PM |
| Sponsored by the Health Evaluation TIG |
| TIG Leader(s): |
| Jeannette Oshitoye, Nemours Health and Prevention Services, joshitoy@nemours.org |
| Robert LaChausse, California State University San Bernardino, rlachaus@csusb.edu |
| Tricia Hodge, Communitas Inc, tricia.hodge@yahoo.com |
| Jenica Huddleston, University of California Berkeley, jenhud@berkeley.edu |
| Presenter(s): |
| Lauren Lichty, Michigan State University, lichtyla@msu.edu |
| Miles McNall, Michigan State University, mcnall@msu.edu |
| Brian Mavis, Michigan State University, mavis@msu.edu |
| Abstract: Located within schools or on school grounds, school-based health centers (SBHCs) provide a comprehensive range of primary care, preventive, and early intervention services to children. SBHCs are staffed with multidisciplinary teams of health providers, including nurse practitioners, physician assistants, and social workers. SBHCs have increased access to and utilization of primary care services among low-income urban and rural youth, serving as a health care safety net for medically underserved children. The Michigan Evaluation of School-based Health (MESH) Project evaluates the impact of SBHCs on the health, school attendance, and healthcare costs of children attending schools with SBHCs. In this presentation, we will discuss the methodological improvements of the current study over prior evaluations of SBHCs and the quantitative findings from our two-level hierarchical linear models of the effect of SBHCs on student health and attendance. Results from the first two waves indicate positive effects on the well-being of SBHC users |