Montana school health clinics boost attendance, lower suspensions
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Health care services located in Montana schools are leading to higher attendance and fewer suspensions, according to a new report.
School-based health care in Montana is not a new concept but it has expanded with an initiative by the Montana Healthcare Foundation in 2020. The goal is to provide students with convenient, quality care in a familiar setting.
In the latest foundation survey, more than 70 percent of responding districts reported a drop in absenteeism and suspensions.
Todd Wester, curriculum director for Livingston Public Schools, said their clinic in Livingston's Park High School makes it easier to get care.
"Students don't have to be gone for half the day or more to go to an appointment somewhere," Wester pointed out. "Having it just right there, we think, allows students to stay more present in classes and just drop in."
School-based health services also bring health care organizations and schools together to serve K-12 students, staff and sometimes even the community. The foundation's report showed at least 82 on-site clinics in Montana cover more than 100 schools.
Kelsey Gummer, senior program officer for the School-Based Health Initiative at the Montana Healthcare Foundation, said 98 percent of the sites provide behavioral health services, and 45 percent provide primary care. Some offer dental and vision care, too. She added the program is meeting a big need in rural areas.
"Fifty-two percent are available in rural areas," Gummer explained. "So, really increasing access to services and allowing kids to get services they wouldn't otherwise."
Gummer hopes to bring the initiative to more schools in the future. The state plans to use $5 million of a $233 million award from the Rural Health Transformation Program for school-based health care this year. Wester added his district is also looking at dovetailing its clinic with work-based learning programs already in place at the high school.
"How do we maximize utilization of this clinic to the benefit of students and staff and the community?" Wester asked. "And are there opportunities with the clinic to expand health care workforce locally as well?"
