National grant program funds school-based comprehensive health services

Health Care Financing Review, Summer, 1993

The Robert Wood Johnson Foundation is funding a $23.2 million national grant program to help bring school-based comprehensive health services to the Nation's school-age children who face unmet heath care needs.

"Children comprise a substantial proportion of the uninsured population in America," said Steven A. Schroeder, M.D., foundation president, announcing the program. "Comprehensive school-based health care is a practical solution for getting these kids the care they need and that we want them to have."

The 5-year program, titled, "Making the Grade: State and Local Partnerships to Establish School-Based Health Centers," invites State governments to join in partnership with communities and their school districts to develop plans for initiating or expanding a school-based health care program. The State government partners will be responsible for reducing funding barriers for school-based health centers and for promoting mid-level practitioner training. The community partners will be expected to organize local support and technical assistance crucial to the success of a school-based health care initiative.

As many as 12 States will receive up to $100,000 for a 15-month planning phase beginning in January 1994. During this period, each State will review State laws and regulations; develop a specific plan to reduce or eliminate barriers to integrating school-based services; develop criteria for selecting local school districts to participate and then identify two or three to do so; and develop innovative ways to encourage the training of midlevel practitioners.

Based on the completion of the planning stage, up to 10 of the grant projects will be eligible to receive 4-year implementation grants averaging $1.8 million to support the delivery of services and $300,000 to support the management of the program.

"Making the Grade" builds on the success of two other Robed Wood Johnson Foundation initiatives - the School-Based Adolescent Health Care program (1986-1993) and the Community Care Funding Partners program (1982-present), present). The former program funded the development of health centers in 24 secondary schools in 14 cities. The latter program has established 13 primary care centers to serve young people in communities around the country.

The program will be directed by Julia Graham Lear, Ph.D., associate research professor in the Department of Health Services, Management and Policy at the George Washington University. Dr. Lear also was the national codirector of the School-based Adolescent Health Care program.

"There is an almost desperate need for comprehensive health care in our schools," said Lear. "The young people who visit school-based health centers are frequently uninsured and many haven't receive medical attention in at least 2 years."

For more information, contact Marc Kaplan at (609)243-5937.