School Health investments provide critical medical, dental, and mental health services to help support student health and academic success.
Early this month, Public Health – Seattle & King County (PHSKC) announced that 29 School-Based Health Center (SBHC) services will be available to Seattle Public Schools students this fall, including 8 elementary schools and 21 middle and high schools campuses. This announcement included the opening of two new centers at Lowell Elementary and Nova High School.
SBHCs are part of the K-12 Health investments under the Families, Education, Preschool, and Promise (FEPP) levy passed by voters in 2018. These investments offer comprehensive medical and mental healthcare, including routine primary care, vaccinations, counseling, and some dental services. SBHCs are designed to promote early intervention, prevention, and treatment of health-related barriers to learning and life success and increase the number of students graduating prepared for the post-secondary pathway of their choice.
The school district’s decision to implement 100% remote learning this fall hasn’t changed the health care needs of students and, if anything, many students may be missing out on the sports physicals or routine immunizations they would typically get in the fall. As such, Seattle Public Schools (SPS) made the decision to open their buildings for SBHC access, and families should know that students enrolled in SPS can receive services at any of the open SBHCs, not just at the school where a student is enrolled.
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