Ohio groups make the case for school-based health care

<p><strong>Mary Schuermann Kuhlman</strong></p> <p><strong>Ohio News Connection</strong></p> <p>Children's advocacy groups are making the case that <a href="https://www.sbh4all.org/what-we-do/school-based-health-care/national-census-of-school-based-health-centers/">school-based health centers</a> are a worthy investment for Ohio's kids.<br> <br> Tracy Najera, executive director of the <a href="https://cdfohio.org/">Children's Defense Fund-Ohio</a>, said being able to get health-care needs met at school gives children and families a "medical home" for primary care and other services. She said a child's physical and mental wellness is foundational for success in academics and life.<br> <br> "Especially during this pandemic, children and families have been struggling and truly suffering," she said. "Behavioral-health issues have reached crisis levels - and many children, in general, haven't been receiving their well-child visits."<br> <br> Ohio has at least $3 billion in recovery funds from the American Rescue Plan Act not yet allocated, and the <a href="https://ohiochildrensbudget.org/american-rescue-plan-act">Ohio Children's Budget Coalition is asking</a> the governor's office to invest $25 million per year over two years to help school districts around the state expand or establish school-based health programs. Najera said that investment could fund between 15 and 30 projects.<br> <br> The convenience of a school-based health center not only helps improve access to care, Najera said, but it also reduces absenteeism.<br> <br> "That's one less day of work that the parent misses, and one day less of school that a child is missing," she said. "So, really bringing the services to where the children are makes a whole lot of sense."<br> <br> Najera added that the centers are a part of a "whole-child" agenda being promoted by the Ohio Children's Budget Coalition.<br> <br> "Children need food, they need housing, they need education, they need health care - they need all these things to really thrive and flourish," she sai