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The Critical Role Schools Can Play In Bridging The Gap Between Health And Education

January 27, 2016

NEW GUIDANCE OUTLINES HOW SCHOOLS CAN DO MORE TO ENSURE THAT STUDENTS RECEIVE THE HEALTHCARE THEY NEED TO SUCCEED IN SCHOOL

Over the last several decades, research has assured us that access to adequate healthcare can directly impact  learning.  Healthier students are more prepared to learn and are better equipped to thrive academically. Now that healthcare is more widely available in the US, how are we ensuring that students are reaping its academic rewards?

By expanding Medicaid eligibility to many more families and children, The Affordable Care Act (ACA) made healthcare accessible to many of the students for whom it was long out of reach. But eligibility is just one piece of the equation. Getting families enrolled in healthcare and actually delivering on these services is another challenge. New guidance and an accompanying toolkit released last week by U.S. Secretary of Education John King and Health and Human Services Secretary Sylvia Mathews Burwell, says schools can play a crucial role. The guidance provides schools with ample incentives and pointers on how to help families enroll in Medicaid and how they can expand the delivery of school-based health services. The guidance strongly encourages schools and local educational agencies (LEAs) to do more to ensure that students are receiving the healthcare they need to be successful in the classroom.

“The tools and resources we are releasing today can help state and local stakeholders take practical steps to strengthen the link between health and education. We encourage you to use these and the other materials provided to explore high-impact opportunities to: Increase access to health insurance to promote better academic outcomes;create school environments with the physical and mental health supports to help students succeed academically and lead healthy lives; and strengthen coordination and collaboration between health and education systems at the local and state levels,” the guidance reads.

Also included in the guidance are 5 high-impact steps schools and LEAs can take to bridge the gap between health and education.

  1. Help Eligible Students And Family Members Enroll In Medicaid:

    2. Ensuring students have access to the health care they need to learn and accel in a school setting is a high-impact step LEAs and schools can take to improve academic achievement. The guidance calls on schools and LEAs to use school registration as an opportunity to help eligible families enroll in Medicaid or other health insurance so that when their kids show up at school, they are already covered and receiving the preventative care that will keep them in school and keep them learning.

  2. Provide And Expand Reimbursable Health Services In Schools:

    3. Helping families enroll in Medicaid opens up new reimbursement opportunities for schools, who are encouraged to “create school environments with the physical and mental health supports to help students succeed academically and lead healthy lives”. Under guidance released in 2014 pertaining to “free care”, with an approved state plan amendment, schools and LEAs are now entitled to reimbursement for many of the Medicaid-eligible services provided to students at school, regardless of whether these services are available for free elsewhere.  Historically, these services were only reimbursable when provided to a student with an Individual Education Plan (IEP) that called for these services  Last week’s guidance encourages state educational agencies (SEAs) and LEAs to “work together to explore opportunities for reimbursement of Medicaid-covered services for Medicaid-enrolled students” within schools regardless of IEP status.<

  3. Provide Or Expand Services That Support At-Risk Students (Through Medicaid-Funded Case Management):

    4. Wraparound services are considered among the most effective interventions for at-risk students, and have been shown to lead to reduced hospitalization, fewer run-ins with the law, fewer behavioral challenges, and increased school achievement. States and LEAs are encouraged to hire Medicaid-funded case managers to facilitate wraparound services and refer students to other related services they may require, ensuring students have access to the services they need to be successful at school and elsewhere.

  4. Promote Healthy School Practices Through Nutrition, Physical Activity And Health Education:

    5. The guidance also encourages schools and LEAs to asses their current wellness policies and programs and invest in these programs to ensure that they are providing students with access to nutritious diets and exercise, and also educating  students on healthy living. Research shows that both nutritious eating and regular physical activity can improve student’s overall health and lead to better academic outcomes.

  5. Build Local Partnerships Through Partnering With A School-Based Health Center Or Participating In Hospital Community Needs Assessments:

    6. Raising a child takes a village. Schools are in the unique position within communities to partner with local hospitals, organizations, business, and other institutions to better serve student needs at school. The guidance urges schools and LEAs to seek out local partnerships to create school-based health centers and to actively assess health needs to provide targeted prevention and care. According to the guidance, “students and their families rely on school-based health centers to meet their needs for a full range of age-appropriate health care services, typically including primary medical care, mental/behavioral health care, dental/oral health care, health education and promotion, substance abuse counseling, case management, and nutrition education.”

Health and Education can not afford to operate in silos. Doing so would be a disservice to our children and to our nation as a whole. At the heart of the new guidance lies the idea that schools stand as powerful community institutions that can play a critical role in collaborating and coordinating with other institutions and organizations to ensure that students have the services and systems in place they need to learn, to succeed, and to become the leaders of tomorrow.