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ONE RURAL SBHC CLOSED IN PA

 

NEPA Community Health Care made the difficult decision to close its SBHC at Elk Lake School District this fall. Despite relatively strong utilization by students over the past several years, the cost to operate this SBHC in a rural community exceeded the revenue earned through insurance billing. The snapshot on student services at the school in the 24/25 school year show what health care will be missed in the future.

  • 523 students served

  • 704 sports physicals or well-child check ups

  • 49 behavioral health visits

  • 67 reproductive health visits

Congratulations to the Pennsylvania Coalition for Oral Health (PCOH) on a successful two-day biennial conference this fall attended by over 130 professionals from across the clinical, policy, and legislative spectrum. PCOH and the oral health field have had some important notable wins over the past 1-2 years. Most importantly, experts from the field successfully pushed back on HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr’s plan announced in April 2025 to direct the CDC to stop recommending community water fluoridation, thereby reversing a decades-long public health strategy aimed at preventing tooth decay. Science prevails!

Kudos to PCOH and partners for helping to push the Act 55 of 2023 amendment of the Public School Code over the finish line allowing for the use of public health dental hygiene practitioners to perform these screenings, and clarifying that these screenings replace the previously mandated dental "examinations".

PSBHA joined Strong Minds,
Bright Futures Coalition

 

PSBHA joined the Strong Minds, Bright Futures coalition this year, a growing partnership for child mental wellbeing. PSBHA supports the coalition’s efforts to center schools as critical partners in mental health care systems and payor networks, and integrate mental health services for parents and young children in pediatric primary care settings while building out the resources for preventative mental health services for children before they are in crisis.

Legislative Activity & Public Education

Community Health Worker Recognition Day in Harrisburg!

PSBHA joined PACHW and advocates for the 3rd annual Community Health Worker Recognition Day at the PA State Capitol in Harrisburg.

House Bill 1376 was reintroduced this session to amend the School Code in order to define and standardize SBHCs and convey support in Pennsylvania, while putting expectations on the State to track and understand their impact in Pennsylvania.

SBHC Data Snapshot

PSBHA produced its 3rd year SBHC Data Snapshot sharing the demographics and utilization of Pennsylvania’s SBHC network. 13,274 students received services; 61% had Medicaid or CHIP public insurance.

The PA Department of Human Services partnered with the University of Pittsburgh Medicaid Research Center to assess the impact of SBHC services in Title One low-income schools as compared to another high-need population served by federally qualified health centers.

PSBHA BOARD HAPPENINGS

 

Three new members joined the PSBHA Board of Directors in 2025.

Eli Silverman, LLP (left) is a Senior Auditor at EisnerAmper since 2014 where he works with his team to audit financial statements for public and private company clients using generally accepting auditing standards. He is a Certified Public Accountant (CPA).

Jacquelin M. Rankine, MD, PhD, (center) is an assistant professor of pediatrics at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine in the Division of Adolescent and Young Adult Medicine. She is assistant director of the PhD Program in Clinical and Translational Science and teaches graduate students through the Institute for Clinical Research Education (ICRE).

Manju Mary Thomas, M.D., (left) is board-certified in pediatrics and obesity medicine, serves as deputy chief medical officer and medical director of pediatrics and school- and community-based medical home services.

ANNUAL GIVING

As PSBHA enters its sixth year in operation to educate Pennsylvanians about the important work and safety net of school-based health centers, we look to our supporters and stakeholders to help continue this work.

Consider making a tax-deductible donationto become a member of the Pennsylvania School-Based Health Alliance. Become a contributing member at psbha.org/membership.

CONTACT US

For more information, please contact Julie Cousler at julie@psbha.org

PSBHA
www.psbha.org • contact@psbha.org

100 W. Oxford Street, E-1100, Philadelphia, PA 19122, United States

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