K. Fothergill et E. Ballard, THE SCHOOL-LINKED HEALTH-CENTER - A PROMISING MODEL OF COMMUNITY-BASED CARE FOR ADOLESCENTS, Journal of adolescent health, 23(1), 1998, pp. 29-38
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.