School-based health care☆
Article Outline
The establishment of school-based health centers provides an effective way to advocate for children. The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (NAPNAP), as a professional organization that advocates for children and provides leadership for Pediatric Nurse Practitioners (PNPs), supports the use of pediatric nurse practitioners in school-based health centers to eliminate access to care barriers for children by providing comprehensive primary care and linking these services with other community resources (Jones & Clark, 1997). PNPs, collaborating with school personnel, improve health care delivery and promote effective, timely, and accessible services for children (Gaffrey & Bergen, 1998). Although school-based health centers are located on the grounds of the target school, they serve a broader population and geographic area.
There are major gaps in today's health care system for children; inaccessibility to health care, lack of preventive services for youth (Nader, 1998), and lack of a stable funding stream that affects sustainability (Brindis, 2003). School-based health centers fill these gaps by providing comprehensive physical and mental health services to children in need of care at locations accessible to children. School-based health centers are not designed to replace an ongoing relationship a child may have with a primary provider. Rather, the centers are designed to overcome social and economic barriers to accessing health care (Levy & Shepardson, 1992).
NAPNAP supports the following:
In summary, school-based health centers and services are an important and necessary component to health care for children that provide a comprehensive range of services that specifically meet the needs of children. They are located where the children are, thus increasing access to health care. School-based health services provide a means to deliver health care to all children, including the many children who have inadequate or no health insurance (Edmunds & Coye, 1998). The school-based health care setting provides a unique opportunity to implement a multidisciplinary team approach, utilizing integrated services to effectively treat problems affecting a child's health, school performance, and school attendance.
Acknowledgements
The National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners would like to acknowledge the contribution made by the NAPNAP School-Based Health Care Special Interest Group in the development of this statement.
References
- References
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☆ No part of this statement may be reproduced in any form or by any means without prior written permission from the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners except for one copy for personal use.Adopted by the National Association of Pediatric Nurse Practitioners' Executive Board on June 25, 2004.
PII: S0891-5245(04)00363-3
doi:10.1016/j.pedhc.2004.11.003
