Oral

The Center promotes a vision of school-based health centers (SBHCs) as a catalytic influence within schools to prevent school dropout - providing leadership, support, resources, and the necessary expertise for interventions, policy, and engagement of allies in curbing the complex social barriers to health and educational success. The Center’s new home at APHA underscores the fact that high school completion is a national public health priority. SBHCs can play a critical role in stimulating well-being, healthy school climate, reducing absenteeism and drop out, thus increasing graduation rates. We envision SBHCs as facilitators and co-collaborators with educators, policy makers, and communities in addressing the obstacles to learning that impede both improved health outcomes and school completion.

Session Objectives: Describe how educational success starts with healthy kids. Explain how SBHCs can identity and help address school-wide barriers to learning. Identify social determinants of health and educational risk factors and how SBHCs can serve as protective factors against dropping out of high school.

CE Credits: Medical (CME), Health Education (CHES), Nursing (CNE), Public Health (CPH) , Masters Certified Health Education Specialist (MCHES)