Health center to open for students
Whitney Young Health, Watervliet district join to bring clinic to school
Watervliet City School District students can now get their medical, dental, behavioral and mental health needs taken care of without ever having to leave school.
The district announced on Friday that it has partnered with the Whitney M. Young, Jr. Health Center to open a schoolbased health center at its juniorsenior high school on Hillside Drive. The center will provide primary and preventative medical services to students enrolled in the program, and promote overall health including mental and behavioral.
“Our school-based health centers have proven to be extremely successful at addressing health concerns for students in the underserved populations that we treat,” said David Shippee, president and CEO of Whitney Young Health. “Healthy students are better students. They can focus on their studies and learn in the classroom.”
School-based health centers
are operated as a partnership between a school and a community health center, such as Whitney Young Health. Services are based on the community needs and can include primary medical care, dental care, mental/behavioral health and health education and promotion. Students can be treated for illnesses such as flu or strep throat, or chronic conditions like asthma and diabetes.
“From an educator’s perspective, any steps we can take to improve children’s health and help reduce time students spend away from the classroom is a win in my book,” said Lori Caplan, superintendent of the 1,300-student district.
Such partnerships have become increasingly common in recent years, as schools, nonprofits and local agencies seek to bring services directly to children at the place where they spend the most time — school. Studies show they help to reduce health disparities across populations, and boost time in the classroom.
In the Capital Region, Whitney Young Health also operates schoolbased health centers at three Albany elementary schools. During the most recent school year, there were a total of 2,496 visits to these centers, and the group is now the primary care provider for 525 students in the Albany City School District.
“From an educator’s perspective, any steps we can take tolori improve children’s health and help reduce time students spend away from the classroom is a win in my book.” Caplan, Watervliet school superintendent