Prairie Grove School District

School Based Health Center

Your questions answered

Our Mission:
To coordinate efforts with community health partners to promote the best possible health and wellness of our students and community.

Core Values:
We believe universal access to affordable, high quality health care is a right, essential for student health and wellbeing.

We believe in advocating for the good health and wellbeing of the children of Prairie Grove Schools by providing accessible, high quality health care.

We believe that quality health care should be available to children where they are, in school.

What is the Prairie Grove Health and Wellness Clinic?
The Prairie Grove Health and Wellness Clinic is a School Based Health Center that is located in the Intermediate building on the Prairie Grove School campus.

Will the general public have access to the clinic?
Yes. The clinic will serve the students, faculty, and staff of Prairie Grove Schools, as well as its’ community members.

Will the students be secure at the clinic?
Students will only enter the clinic through a secure entrance only accessible to clinic staff responsible for escorting students to the clinic for services where they will be taken directly to an exam room after checking in.

What services will the Prairie Grove Health and Wellness Clinic provide?

• Primary care for illness and injury

• Comprehensive annual exams

• Sports physicals

• Prescription medications

• Mental Health services

• Health Promotion and Prevention Programs

• Dental screenings for students

• Eye screenings for students

Do I have to pay for services?
Most insurance plans are accepted including Medicaid and ARKids 1st. A co-pay may be required; however, no child will be turned away because of inability to pay for services.

What is the history behind SBHC’s?
Nationally, the school based health care movement started in the early 1980’s with a handful of projects. Today, more than 1,700 SBHC’s serve nearly two million young people across the U.S. every year. Approximately 40 percent of these students have no other medical home, largely because they live in communities with limited access to health care. The national movement is led by the National Assembly on School Based Health Care.

What do parents think about SBHC’s?
Parents appreciate SBHC’s because:

• SBHC services help their child to stay healthy and in school. Services can include those for physical, behavioral (mental health and substance abuse), dental health and eye care.

• Parents miss less work. Without a SBHC, when a child is sick, the parent must miss work to take the child out of schools and be seen at the nearest health care facility. For families that rely on an hourly wage, this day of missed work can mean not getting a meal on the table at night.

• SBHC’s can partner with schools in developing and implementing the school’s crisis response plan, often making those plans stronger.

• SBHC staff can enhance the school’s health education program.

Do SBHC’s interfere with parental authority?
No. Statewide, parents retain the authority to sign consent forms regarding whether their child can be seen at the SBHC for standard services. The staff promotes STRONG family communication.

Shouldn’t schools just focus on educating?
Schools cannot do their job of educating students if they are not at school. Research shows that students who use SBHC’s are less likely to be absent and more likely to be promoted or graduate than their peers who do not. Furthermore, students without SBHC’S are less likely to get medical care, so they often come to school sick, spread illness to their teachers and peers, and thus distract others from learning.

Do SBHC’s eliminate the need for school nurses and counselors?
No. SBHC’s do not and will not replace school nurses or counselors. Rather, they complement services already being provided by placing additional resources in the school.

Do health clinics take money away from schools?
SBHC’s get their funding from many different sources, including the state, private grants, and insurance billing. Schools provide in-kind support to their health centers, such as space, utilities, and custodial services. In addition, some school districts pitch in modest funding, recognizing that students are more successful when they are physically and mentally healthy.

Do SBHC’s take patients away from local providers?
No. SBHC’s collaborate with and make referrals to community medical, behavioral, and oral health providers. SBHC’s are another entry point for children who may not otherwise be able or willing to seek help outside the school. While primary care providers generally see children under the age of 13 relatively often, they see adolescents less frequently. This group, at risk for a variety of health-related problems, typically does not access available health care resources. For these adolescents, SBHC’s serve as an important entry point into the health care system.

Are practitioners at SBHC’s qualified?
Yes. All medical providers at SBHC’s must be licensed, and the services they provide are limited to their type of licensure. Often, SBHC providers have additional skills and training in providing services to adolescents.

What do I need to do for my child to receive services?
Students needing services from the Prairie Grove Health and Wellness Clinic must have parental consent forms on file in order to access services. All student s needing services must visit the school nurse prior to receiving clinic services during school hours. Any child that is in need of services will be scheduled for a visit based on the acuity of the need (a child with a fever of 104 takes priority over a child with a rash that has been present for a week). If it is determined by the school nurse that a student needs services of the Health and Wellness Clinic, the parent MUST BE NOTIFIED prior to the delivery of services. No student will ever be sent to the clinic during school hours without the consent of the school nurse. All other community member appointments will be made as normal.