An Overview of School-Based Health Center Advisory Committee Paula Fields, MSN, RN WV School Health Technical Assistance & Evaluation Center at Marshall University

Snapshot of SBHCs  Nationally, the first SBHCs were created in the 1970’s…today, we have 1700 SBHCs in 45 states serving students in all grades  In WV, SBHCs were piloted in 14 schools in 1994…in 2006 there were 45 SBHCs providing services to 56 schools in 21 counties making services available to a school-aged population of over 27,000 children  Interest and commitment continues to grow in WV and across the states

What is an Advisory Committee? An Advisory Committee is a group of individuals who form a committee for the purpose of shaping, guiding and supporting the school-based health center.

Advisory Committee Members The Advisory Committee should have representation from multiple agencies Possible members include staff from the SBHC, sponsoring agency, school staff, clergy, community members, parents and students

What is the role of an Advisory Committee? The Advisory Committee's role should be to provide guidance to the sponsoring agency around the operations of the School-based Health Center The Advisory Committee should make recommendations to the sponsoring agency, but does not have authority to enforce it’s recommendations The sponsoring agency should be open to the recommendations and be responsive to the Advisory Committee (i.e. communication between the Advisory Committee and sponsoring agency if there is an recommendation that cannot be met)

Role Continued... Advisory Committees are important to guide SBHC services from a school and community perspective. The Advisory Committee may offer guidance on: –Planning Activities –SBHC service plan –New programming and initiatives –Written materials and products of the SBHC –SBHC marketing activities –Resources –A place to discuss any issues or concerns

WV Most SBHCs in WV receive funding from the WV Bureau for Public Health, Division of Primary Care. As part of accepting this grant funding the SBHC sponsoring agency agrees to meet Principals, Standards and Guidelines for School-Based Health Centers in WV

Principals, Standards and Guidelines for School-Based Health Centers in WV The Principals, Standards and Guidelines Recommends: SBHCs have Advisory Committees, which approve all services in conjunction with the sponsoring agency’s Board of Directors, review and comment on basic operating policies and may be involved in assisting with preventive health programs, outreach, and public relations Representation of 1/3 (51% in order to match 330 funding requirement) of the Advisory Committee should be parents of students in the school(s) for which services are provided. At the middle or secondary school level, at least two students are on the Advisory Committee The committee meets at least two times per school year, and minutes of the meetings are filed

Additional Information: The SBHC staff will be responsible for coordinating the Advisory Committee meetings The Advisory Committee should meet at least 2 times a year (quarterly meetings may be helpful in the beginning) Members should commit two years of service for purposes of continuity but no more than four years Your interest and willingness to serve on your SBHC Advisory Committee is commended. Strong communication leads to a stronger SBHC! CONGRATULATIONS...

WV Resources

WV School Health Technical Assistance & Evaluation Center at Marshall University Richard Crespo, PhD Director Linda Anderson, MPH Coordinator Stephanie Montgomery Data and Evaluation Paula Fields, MSN, RN Clinical Issues

WV School-Based Health Assembly Statewide membership organization working to advance comprehensive health care in school settings Eileen BarkerBecky KingCo-coordinator

National Resources National Assembly on School-Based Health Care: Center for Health and Health Care in Schools: Center for School Based Health, Bureau for Primary Health Care, HRSA: