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School Based Health Clinics Should Be Essential Schools

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Teenage students don’t seek health care for a variety of reasons; therefore bringing the services to the place where teens spend a large part of their day gives an efficient model of health care delivery. School-based health centers guarantee that from elementary through high school, students can have an annual physical, treated for acute illnesses, their eyes checked and their teeth examined, and speak to a mental health counselor during or after class without the barriers that the families too often are challenged with. Students are often absent from school or leave school early due to non-emergency and non-contagious issues. School Based Health Clinics should be essential in schools due to the alarming state of preteen and young adult’s health. Students can perform better when they are present for class healthy and ready to learn.
The U.S Department of Human resources states that there are 26.6 births for every 1000 teenage mothers in 2013. Although the rate has declined, the United States teen birth rate is higher than many other developed countries including Canada and the United Kingdom. SBHC’s promotes a good balance of health and education which prevents students from falling through the cracks. It is not a coincidence that the graduation rate average in the United States fell to 80% in 2014, which means one in every five students have dropped out of high school this year. SBHCs offer free access to health care for students, many of whom are uninsured or have

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