Letters to the Editor
School is a Great Place for Primary Care
Your recent cover story on school-based clinics (September 2010, p. 22) pointed out the impact of school-based health centers in extending primary care to students. The growth of these centers in the Twin Cities, throughout Minnesota, and across the country is a significant victory for our young people—one that is about far more than having a doctor’s office in the school.
In addition to the vital health care these centers provide, they have a unique ability to sense and address issues that affect students’ health and educational success.
Some kids walk to and from school through violent neighborhoods, don’t have a safe place to play, or don’t live near a grocery store where they can access nutritious food. Textbooks just can’t compete with hunger, illness, pain, fear, and depression.
School-based health centers can break down these barriers to success by helping to create policies and programs within the school community that ensure that kids can learn, thrive, and graduate.
It comes down to this: Healthy children do better in school, and students who graduate live healthier lives.
As we add new school-based health centers in our communities, let’s call on them to do more than provide primary care. Let’s trust them to make sure all kids have what they need to succeed.
Terri D. Wright, M.P.H.
Director, Center for School, Health, and Education
Washington, D.C.