DRAFT - School Based Health Centers
School Based Health Centers
As part of the $735 million bond Salt Lake City School District was able to secure, West High School and Highland High School will be completely rebuilt. Each school will feature a 3,600 square foot school-based health clinic. The University of Utah Department of Pediatrics has developed a health care model that ingrates physical, mental, and behavioral health in a school-based health clinic. Each clinic will be staffed by University of Utah pediatricians, psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. While our partner, University of Utah Health will staff and furnish both clinics, the Salt Lake Education Foundation is tasked with raising $2 million for the interior construction of each clinic.
Vision
By enhancing access to integrated primary and mental health care, we seek to improve the quality of life and academic success for adolescents in our community.
School-based Health Centers
School-based health centers (SBHCs) are collaborations between schools, communities, and health care organizations. They improve access to health care services. The care and education offered through SBHCs is especially valuable for at-risk teens.
Transportation, cost, and time constraints are barriers preventing vulnerable adolescents from receiving the care they need. Offering health services in the school setting overcomes these obstacles.
School-based Health Centers Lead to Better Outcome
Young people enrolled in SBHCs are:
- 21 times more likely to access mental health services
- Less likely to report suicidal ideation, suicide attempts, or depressive episodes
- More likely to receive routine preventive care
- Less likely to use the emergency room
- Spending more time in the classroom (three times more)
Schools with SBHCs Demonstrate:
- 4.1% increase in overall graduation rates
- 33% reduction in dropout rates
Meeting Health Care Needs at School
In partnership with the Salt Lake City School District and the Salt Lake Education Foundation, the Highland High School Clinic will be built as part of the new campus. More than 7,000 students from high schools in the district will have access to the clinic through inter-school busing.
We are defining a new standard of care for adolescents in Utah. Primary care providers will work side-by-side with psychiatrists, psychologists, and social workers. The Highland High School Clinic is a model for other schools in Utah and the region. The new campus will have a 3,600 square foot clinic space, scheduled to open in 2028.
Services Offered
Integrated Mental and Behavioral Health
Through referrals and screenings, the Highland High School Clinic will promote early identification and assessment of youth at risk for mental and behavioral health concerns. Students identified as at risk have access to a tiered system of mental and behavioral health resources.
Primary Care
- Preventive care
- Immunizations
- Sports physicals
- Sports injuries
- Sick visits
- Chronic health conditions
- Mental and behavioral health
Well-Being Team
- Universal screening
- Group counseling
- Individual counseling
Psychiatry
- Psychiatric diagnostic evaluations
- Medication management
