Legislation codifies school-based health centers
Taos, Peñasco bring healthcare to students at school
New Mexico legislators passed a bill late last Wednesday night (March 16) to codify school-based health centers, which provide a service that hundreds of students in Taos County schools rely on for basic medical care.
Senate Bill 397, which was sponsored by District 24 state Sen. Nancy Rodriguez and District 25 state Rep. Christine Trujillo, now awaits Gov. Michelle Lujan Grisham’s signature.
Taos Middle School and Taos High School, along with the Peñasco Independent School District campus, already feature student health centers operated by El Centro Family Health. Several Questa Independent School District officials did not respond to an email requesting comment for this story.
“We are glad SB 397 codified SBHCs into law,” said Melissa Sandoval, superintendent for the Peñasco school district. “Peñasco is fortunate that a school-based health center was established within our district a few years ago. Our students and staff are very fortunate to have a team of El Centro’s medical staff to support their physical and behavioral health needs.”
“These school-based health centers are an incredible benefit for our students,” Valerie Trujillo, superintendent for Taos schools, said. “The health centers provide a higher level of care with more continuity and daily appointments for our kids. Coupled with the hard work of our school nurses, the schoolbased clinics greatly improve the health, welfare and success of our high school and middle school students.”
Taos schools offers clinical services two days a week at each location.
Asked whether school-based health centers offer reproductive care, Nurse Practitioner Chloe Abreu, who cares for students with the Taos school district, responded that all school-based centers “in New Mexico provide a wide range of comprehensive health services [as] permitted by law.”
A Department of Health spokesperson clarified that it is up to school districts to determine what services its health centers provide, telling the Taos News that “some schools choose to include reproductive health care; some do not.”
“Our common services provided at the school-based sites include primary care, well child exams, sports physicals, preventative health services, treatment of acute illnesses and injuries, immunizations, nutrition counseling, mental health counseling, and substance use disorder,” Abreu said, noting that El Centro Family Health school-based health centers bill Medicaid and private insurance to recoup patient care costs.
But no one is turned away from the centers, thanks to existing state programs.
“If a student does not have insurance available, we have available funding through New Mexico Office of School and Adolescent Health and New Mexico Department of
Health to provide services for these students,” Abreu said, adding that, the “Taos school-based health center has the capacity to serve close to 100 students per week,” and is also available to school district staff.
“We also provide specialty clinics, such as immunization clinics, that can exceed this capacity,” she added.
The new law would protect school-based health centers by enshrining them in state statute and preventing them from being eliminated. The New Mexico Department of Health said in a press release last Friday that it will continue to work with school districts interested in providing access to primary care and behavioral health services to children who need it.
“We are thrilled school-based health centers are on track to be codified in law,” said Patrick M. Allen, Lujan Grisham’s newlyappointed health secretary. “Providing healthcare services to the children of New Mexico is a high priority for DOH and, because these centers are based in schools, it means more children have access to the primary care and mental health services they need.”
School-based health centers have operated in New Mexico for more than 25 years, and SB 397 ensures that the Department of Health will continue to establish and support them in any county that requests them. The department already supports 54 centers by supplying supplemental operating funds, technical assistance and other necessary support to 16 provider organizations that deliver care to school-aged children in 24 counties in clinics located on or adjacent to school campuses.
“School-based health centers provide primary health care, preventive health care, treatment of minor, acute and chronic conditions, mental health care, substance use disorder, crisis intervention, and referrals for additional treatment including inpatient care, specialty care, emergency psychiatric care, oral health care and vision health care services,” according to the Department of Health release. “SBHCs address many of the barriers to health care access for schoolaged children. Because SBHCs are located where children spend a significant amount of their time, access to care is maximized.”
Abreu summarized the importance of making health care available in public schools: “We are unique because we provide quality health services directly where youth spend most of their day — at school.”