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School-Based Health Services and Maine's Legislators
The benefits of School-Based Health Centers include:
- Helping to increase youth access to health care. Receiving health care at school, especially for Maine's rural youth, helps them get health care services they might not otherwise receive.
- Providing preventive health care services. Children and adolescents are able to receive preventive care early on, decreasing the number of treatment services for preventable diseases or illnesses.
- Providing cost-effective health care services. Many uninsured families seek non-emergency services at hospital emergency rooms, which are much more expensive for the family and the community. School-based health center services fees are priced affordably so Maine's youth can get the health care they need.
- Addressing public health problems such as teen pregnancy, suicide, tobacco and drug use, sexually transmitted diseases, eating disorders, injury and violence, and chronic diseases. School-based health centers provide affordable and easily accessible services that reach many high-risk students.
Issues addressed in State guidelines for SBHCs include:
- Access to services
- Enrollment and parental consent
- Comprehensive health assessments
- Diagnosis/treatment of medical conditions
- Immunizations
- Laboratory testing
- Age-appropriate reproductive health services
- Health care, education, and promotion
- Mental health
- Dental care
How Legislators Can Help:
Legislators can play several roles in Maine's School-Based Health Centers policies. Mechanisms to increase access to health care for children include:
- Considering how bills related to health and education affect school-based health centers
- Encouraging private insurance reimbursement for school-based health centers
- Encouraging MaineCare funding for school-based health centers
Updated: Jun 28th, 2010 - 12:08:36
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A Strong and Powerful Voice to Improve the Lives of All Maine's Children, Youth and Families
© 2002 Maine Children's Alliance, 303 State Street, Augusta, Maine 04330
v. (207) 623-1868 f. (207) 626-3302 e. Mainekids@mekids.org
Section 508/Bobby Approved. www.mekids.org
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