HHS grants $14M for school-based health centres - Healthcare Finance News

The Department of Health and Human Services granted more than $14 million Thursday to 45 school-based health centers across the country, increasing the number of children served at the centers by nearly 50 percent.
Clinics receiving the awards are already providing healthcare services to 112,000 children. Funded through the Affordable Care Act, the grants will enable the centers to expand their capacity and modernize their facilities, which will allow them to treat an estimated additional 53,000 children in 29 states.
“Children are the foundation upon which this country will grow,” said HHS Secretary Kathleen Sebelius, in a press release announcing the grants. “The Affordable Care Act will help ensure our children get the high-quality healthcare they need and deserve.”
School-based health centers enable children with acute or chronic illnesses to attend school, and improve the overall health and wellness of all children through health screenings, health promotion and disease prevention activities.
Typically, a school-based clinic provides a combination of primary care, mental health care, substance abuse counseling, case management, dental health, nutrition education, health education and health promotion activities.
The Affordable Care Act provides $200 million in funding from 2010 – 2013 for the School-Based Health Center Capital Program to address significant and pressing capital needs and to improve delivery and support expansion of services at school-based health centers.
Theses grants are the second in the series of awards that will be made available to school-based health centers under the Affordable Care Act. The Health Resources and Services Administration (HRSA) oversees the School-Based Health Center Capital Program.
“These grants will enable school-based health centers to establish new sites or upgrade their current facilities, which will increase their ability to provide preventive and primary healthcare services, and help children improve their health and remain healthy,” said HRSA Administrator Mary K. Wakefield, PhD., RN.