Students Benefit from Health Centers in School (MI)

September 23, 2010

A recent study by Michigan State University says in-school health care has long-term benefits on the attendance and achievement of students.

Michigan’s in-school Health Centers have been operating for 20 years and provide primary care to over 100-thousand underserved youth.

Michigan has the fourth largest on-site school health care program in the nation. It provides health care and counseling services to students up to 21 years of age.

Taggart Doll is program coordinator with the Child and Adolescent Health Centers in Michigan. He says the centers commonly treat everything from headaches to colds, but in recent years the centers have been asked to provide more mental health services to students.

"Overwhelmingly what we hear is that they would like more funding for mental health. You know that’s one of the messages that we hear across the board, is that kids are in need of mental health services."

More than 70 schools in Michigan provide primary, preventative, and early intervention services to students through school-based health centers.