Implementing a school‐based health center: The Winston‐Salem/Forsyth County experience

Abstract

This article traces the inception and implementation of school-based health centers in the WinstonSalem/Forsyth County (NC) school system. The challenges that arose during implementation are discussed, along with the opportunities that SBHCs provide to enhance the provision of comprehensive services for children. The involvement of the several school psychologists in the initial planning, organization and implementation of these centers is delineated as an example for other school psychologists who are interested in working with school-based health centers. Schoolbased health centers represent an opportunity for school psychologists to assume a leadership role in the delivery of enhanced health and mental health services for children and families.

The school‐based health center as a resource for prevention and health promotion

“…School psychologists are in an excellent position to provide leadership for the establishment of SBHCs in schools that currently are not served by one. Trivette and Thompson-Drew (2003) traced the inception and implementation of SBHCs in the WinstonSalem/Forsyth County (North Carolina) Schools. The involvement of school psychologists in the planning, implementation, and evaluation of SBHCs in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County Schools provides a useful example of how school psychologists can assume shared leadership as one part of a collaborative effort to provide enhanced services to children and families.…”

Case study of child, parent and teacher perceptions of a school-based health clinic in the model schools paediatric health clinic in the model schools paediatric health initiative of the Toronto District School Board

“…The literature on the nurse practitioner model of care delivery in SBHCs is characterized by a "team" orientation that includes sensitizing school staff to the potential learning barriers that their students face, and meeting with families to understand their needs and priorities (Yau & Newton, 2012). This provides opportunities to enhance assessment and treatment that can be tailored to children's needs and facilitate improved educational outcomes (e.g., Strolin-Goltzman et al, 2014;Trivette & Thompson-Drew, 2003). While the literature on SBHCs underscores the enhanced coordination of care with external community or medical primary care physicians (Johnson & Hutcherson, 2006), the parents in this study alluded to the importance of the coordinated care that occurs within the school community.…”

“…Parents explicitly mentioned the threatening nature of mental illness and the benefits of an on-site mental health service. Trivette and Thompson-Drew's (2003) research found that the incorporation of on-site mental health services at a school provides additional contextual information in terms of children's past social or educational records, prior mental health evaluations, and administrative support that can significantly enhance the provision of mental health service, support, and treatment.…”

School-Based Health Centers: Implications for Counselors

“…An article by Trivette and Thompson-Drew (2003), chronicling the evolution of the SBHCs in Winston-Salem/Forsyth County, North Carolina, is a good illustration of how the issues discussed in the Meyers and Swerdlik (2003) article played out in one community. The challenges that arose during implementation were illustrated, along with the solutions that were adopted by the community that resulted in the establishment of a number of centers.…”