THE SCHOOL-LINKED HEALTH-CENTER - A PROMISING MODEL OF COMMUNITY-BASED CARE FOR ADOLESCENTS

Purpose: To examine the nature of the linkages between school-linked h ealth centers (SLHCs) and schools; the centers' services, staffing, fi nancing, and other operational details; and the advantages of this mod el of care. Method: Twenty-one SLHCs completed a written survey on a r ange of operational issues, including types of services provided, staf fing patterns, budgets, and populations served in 1995. The researcher s conducted on-site interviews with six centers and telephone intervie ws with 14 centers to obtain more detailed information. Results: Altho ugh each SLHC has a unique program design, the study identified charac teristics common to all sites. In general, SLHCs provide comprehensive medical, reproductive health, mental health, and health education ser vices designed for adolescents. Staffed with a minimum of an administr ator, a primary care provider, a nurse, and an administrative assistan t, SLHCs serve students from more than one school as well as out-of-sc hool youth. SLHCs develop formal and/or informal linkages with schools to improve outreach and follow-up services. Conclusions: The report d escribes a community-based model of care that is designed to provide a ffordable, age-appropriate, confidential, convenient care to adolescen ts, a population that traditionally has been very hard to reach. The S LHC's ability to provide reproductive health care makes it an attracti ve option for communities trying to prevent pregnancy and sexually tra nsmitted diseases among adolescents. To firmly conclude that the SLHC is an effective model for improving adolescent access to services, mor e research is needed an adolescents' use and nonuse of SLHCs and other models of care; the cast of SLHCs compared to other models of care; a nd how SLHCs can sustain themselves financially, particularly in a man aged care environment. (C) Society for Adolescent Medicine, 1998.