H.R. 4230 would amend the Public Health Service Act to establish a school-based health clinic program.
Detailed Summary
School-Based Health Clinic Act of 2007 - Amends the Public Health Service Act to require the Secretary of Health and Human Services to award grants for the cost of operating school-based health clinics to provide comprehensive primary health services (which include physical and mental health services, and which may include optional services such as nutrition, oral health, health education, and case management services) during school hours to children and adolescents by health professionals.
Requires such clinics to: (1) provide services to children and adolescents for whom parental or guardian consent has been obtained; (2) provide on-site access during the academic day when school is in session and 24-hour coverage through an on-call system and backup health providers to ensure access to services on a year-round basis.
Allows the Secretary to give preference to applicants who demonstrate an ability to serve: (1) communities with evidence of barriers to primary health care and mental health services for children and adolescents; (2) communities that have consistently scored poorly on child and adolescent standardized health indicator reports; (3) communities with high percentages of children and adolescents who are uninsured, underinsured, or enrolled in public health insurance programs; and (4) populations of children and adolescents that have demonstrated difficulty historically in accessing health and mental health services.
Requires the Secretary to: (1) establish a program to provide technical and other assistance to clinics; and (2) implement a plan for evaluating clinics and monitoring the quality of their performance.
Status of the Legislation
Latest Major Action: 12/4/2007: House committee/subcommittee actions. Status: Subcommittee Hearings Held.
Points in Favor
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Points Against
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Visitor Comments
phil
we must support this bill and encourage our legislators to co-sponsor this bill to improve the health of america's children and adolescents. School based health clinics can help through health promotions and preventions and through early diagnosis of potential health problems in our community.