New Construction and Equipment Funding Available for SBHCs

Last week, Kathleen Sebelius, Secretary of Health and Human Services, announced the next (and final) round of construction and equipment grants for school-based health centers: $75 million to be awarded to approximately 150 sponsors.

This announcement marks another great victory for our movement, building on two prior rounds of grants to 323 SBHC sponsors. Along with the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care, we continue to fight for every opportunity to fund school-based health care for the millions of school kids who are depending on us.

Part one of the applications is due on June 26; part two is due on July 24. Awards are expected on December 12.

• Find more details about the funding announcement here:http://www.hrsa.gov/grants/apply/assistance/sbhcc/.
• BPHC will conduct a pre-application technical assistance webinar on May 24 at 1 p.m. Eastern.
• NASBHC will hold a webinar to discuss the grants and provide guidance and support on May 29 at 2 p.m. Eastern. Visit their website, www.nasbhc.org, to register for the webinar. .

On May 1st, 2012, Jane Lima-Negron, Executive Director of the NYS Coalition for School-Based Health Centers, testified before the New York City Council Education & Mental Health Committee joint hearing on the subject of school-based mental health services.

There has been recent attention called to the inappropriate use of Emergency Room trips by schools to address behavioral disruptions by students. At a joint hearing called by the New York City Council's education and mental health committees, officials from the NYC Department of Education reviewed the various programs available to students and acknowledged the need more more school-based mental health programs to match the needs of the growing number of children with mental health issues such as depression and attention deficit disorder. The City Council is considering supporting existing SBHCs with support to ensure there is a full-time mental health provider in each center. Jane Lima-Negron, Executive Director for the Coalition, attended the hearing to testify on behalf of school-based health centers and the need for support of school-based mental health services.

Below are the links to recent news article on this topic:

http://www.nytimes.com/2012/04/09/nyregion/trying-to-keep-students-mental-health-care-out-of-the-er.html?_r=2&ref=michaelwineripÂ

http://www.nytimes.com/schoolbook/2012/05/01/city-falling-short-on-mental-health-services-for-children/

http://www.huffingtonpost.com/richard-buery/er-visits-costly-bandaid_b_1441457.html

http://articles.nydailynews.com/2012-04-17/news/31351214_1_ambulance-tantrum-cops

School-Based Health Center Advocacy

Advocacy Brief 2012

Education and the SBHC Model

School-Based Health Centers: Expanding the Knowledge and Vision

Hundreds Show Their Love for School-Based Health

On February 14th, hundreds of students, parents, health care practitioners, educators, and advocates gathered at the State Capital Building in Albany to raise awareness of the impact school-based health centers have on communities all across New York State. This event marked the celebration of the National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month in New York. The awareness month highlights the work of more than 1,900 school-based health centers (SBHCs) across the country. 

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The theme of 2012 National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month is Sharing our Stories. The New York State Coalition for School-Based Health Centers, the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC), and its partners are sharing stories of the tremendous impact school-based health care has on our nation’s youth.

In New York, the annual Advocacy Day provided opportunities for youth to share their stories with decision-makers representing their communities. The event took place at Empire State Plaza from 11am-3pm and included:

• A Student Speakout featuring youth and adolescents from New York schools
• Speeches about the importance of school-based health care from:
  • State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried
  • New York State Coalition for School-Based Health Centers Chairperson Kim Urbach, and
  • State Senator Velmanette Montgomery
• Presentation of the Champion of Children’s Health Award to Governor Andrew Cuomo
• Presentation of the Education Advocate of the Year Award to Robert Mackey, Superintendent of Unadilla Valley School District in New Berlin. This award was presented by Senator John J. Flanagan.
• Presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Lorraine Tiezzi, Director of Adolescent Health, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. 

For more information about awareness month activities,visit the following websites:

National Website: www.nasbhc.org/awarenessmonth
National Partners: www.nasbhc.org/partners

To learn more about NYS Coalition for School-Based Health Centers, or to schedule a tour of a local SBHC, contact Jane Lima-Negron at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For participants of the advocacy event in New York, please view the materials below:

School-Based Health Center Informational Packet

School-Based Health Center Advocacy

Advocacy Brief 2012

Education and the SBHC Model

School-Based Health Centers: Expanding the Knowledge and Vision

Hundreds Show Their Love for School-Based Health

On February 14th, hundreds of students, parents, health care practitioners, educators, and advocates gathered at the State Capital Building in Albany to raise awareness of the impact school-based health centers have on communities all across New York State. This event marked the celebration of the National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month in New York. The awareness month highlights the work of more than 1,900 school-based health centers (SBHCs) across the country. 

Make a Free Flash Slideshow

The theme of 2012 National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month is Sharing our Stories. The New York State Coalition for School-Based Health Centers, the National Assembly on School-Based Health Care (NASBHC), and its partners are sharing stories of the tremendous impact school-based health care has on our nation’s youth.

In New York, the annual Advocacy Day provided opportunities for youth to share their stories with decision-makers representing their communities. The event took place at Empire State Plaza from 11am-3pm and included:

• A Student Speakout featuring youth and adolescents from New York schools
• Speeches about the importance of school-based health care from:
  • State Assemblyman Richard Gottfried
  • New York State Coalition for School-Based Health Centers Chairperson Kim Urbach, and
  • State Senator Velmanette Montgomery
• Presentation of the Champion of Children’s Health Award to Governor Andrew Cuomo
• Presentation of the Education Advocate of the Year Award to Robert Mackey, Superintendent of Unadilla Valley School District in New Berlin. This award was presented by Senator John J. Flanagan.
• Presentation of the Lifetime Achievement Award to Lorraine Tiezzi, Director of Adolescent Health, New York City Department of Health & Mental Hygiene. 

For more information about awareness month activities,visit the following websites:

National Website: www.nasbhc.org/awarenessmonth
National Partners: www.nasbhc.org/partners

To learn more about NYS Coalition for School-Based Health Centers, or to schedule a tour of a local SBHC, contact Jane Lima-Negron at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it

For participants of the advocacy event in New York, please view the materials below:

School-Based Health Center Informational Packet

The Coalition is pleased to announce that three new Board Members were voted in at the Coalition's annual meeting which was held during the NASBHC Convention in Chicago, IL this past June. The members started their term in August of this year. The new members include:

• Adria Cruz is the Children's Aid Society's (CAS) School Health Services manager, a position she's held since late 2006.
• Ellette Hirschorn, RN, joined Open Door in 2001 as the Director of Clinical Support Services and Programs.
• Catherine (Cathy) Hopkins is a family nurse practitioner and the Director of Community Outreach and School Health at St. Joseph's Medical Center, managing five school-based clinics in Yonkers, the fourth largest City in New York.

Being a Board Member for the New York State Coalition for School-Based Health Centers provides the opportunity to advocate for improved health services for children in our states' most vulnerable communities by building a strong voice for school-based health services.

If you are interested in becoming a Coalition Board member or know someone with expertise in marketing, resource development or legal affairs, please send an email to This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .

In July 2011, the Coalition submitted two sets of recommendations to the State Department of Health on how to improve the SBHC quarterly reporting requirements, the upcoming solicitation of SBHC funding, and corresponding contract workplan.

In May, the Coalition initiated an assessment of the SBHC field to gather qualitative information regarding the experience of SBHC program administrators in completing the SBHC Quarterly and End of Year reports to the New York State Department of Health (DOH). The assessment process included informant interviews and a web-based survey to SBHC program administrators. The objective of the assessment aimed to establish a list of recommendations to DOH on modifications of the SBHC data reports. The final document lists expert recommendations based on the assessment findings and identifies strategies to modify SBHC data collection tools to improve the quality of data collected by SBHCs on its service delivery and population. The document was submitted to the State during a meeting in Albany at the end of July. The response has been positive and the Coalition continues to work with the State on how to implement some of the recommendations.

In addition, the Coalition requested feedback from the SBHC field in response to the Department of Health's Bureau of Maternal & Child Health's Community Based Health Care Unit's (DOH) provider input request. The Coalition collaborated with the field and engaged its governance team to ensure that it could provide comprehensive recommendations to DOH on the upcoming solicitation of SBHC funding and corresponding contract workplan.

The Coalition is grateful to all the individuals who provided insight and feedback during the process.