School-based Health Center Research 

MVRHS School-based Health Center Feasibility Study 

School-based health centers (SBHCs) have been a vital school and community driver of student success and wellbeing since the late 1960s/early 1970s. Currently, there are over 2,500 SBHCs nationwide; with about 60 centers in Massachusetts and 34 funded by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health and the Bureau of Community Health and Prevention. Massachusetts SBHCs are increasingly working to meet the healthcare needs of students and families. 11,000 students were served by MA SBHCs in 2018 alone.

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As a result of an MVPS strengths and gaps analysis (MedStar, 2018), the MV community knows that MVPS could benefit from a formal and coordinated school-based approach to wellness; including the potential of a school-based health center (SBHC) at MVRHS.  There are currently two SBHCs that are geographically closest to MVRHS; located in Provincetown and Taunton. However, geography does not make these centers a match comparison for what an MVRHS SBHC might need to look like. Therefore, Phase 1 of this study will investigate the feasibility of an MVRHS SBHC by first looking at the demographic and health-related characteristics of the MVRHS student community. Often SBHCs start in a scale-up fashion, so the feasibility study will focus on understanding MVRHS students' and their families' health behaviors, needs, and access to healthcare to prioritize phases of implementation. In addition, advisory councils will be assembled to support a valid and reliable study that includes community stakeholders' voices and ideas on equitable healthcare as a human right for MV youth and their families.

Framework: The National School-based Health Center Alliance developed a tool called "The Blueprint," which provides a research-based framework for planning, developing, funding, and ensuring sustainability of SBHCs. In July 2020, Kim Garrison joined the SBHA as a representative of MVRHS. Included in "The Blueprint" database are resources for assessing community readiness. Using community readiness tools, the School-based Health Center Feasibility Study is designed to prioritize community-participation and inclusion in the processes of data collection and interpretation, discussion on planning, and ensuring a representative set of perspectives to establish a position on the feasibility of a school-based health center for MVRHS. This approach honors the strengths of the MV community and its health system.

The School-based Health Center Research Project is currently funded by a Vision Fellowship Project Award for FY21 and FY22. Based on the value that SBHCs lend to communities, families, school staff, and students. A secondary component of the study will consider satellite clinics for pK-8 students. Funding for this portion of the study has not yet been awarded.