Choptank Community Health System is joining the National School-Based Health Care Awareness Month celebration this February to highlight how school-based health centers help improve access to health care for children and adolescents.
School-based health centers bring essential healthcare services directly to schools, where students spend much of their time. By integrating health care with education, the centers ensure students can thrive, grow, and reach their full potential.
“All children and adolescents deserve the opportunity to grow into the young adults we know they can be,” said Choptank Health CEO and President Sara Rich. “But too often, barriers to health care stand in their way. School-based health centers bridge that gap, ensuring students receive the support they need to succeed academically and in life.”
Across the country, states are organizing activities throughout February to raise awareness, including legislative visits, state capitol events, youth advocacy efforts, and special recognitions. These initiatives emphasize the importance of SBHCs in improving health outcomes and making a lasting impact on the lives of young people.
“When health and education come together, great things happen,” says Choptank Health Director of Community-Based Programs Chrissy Bartz, PA-C. “Whether it’s through medical, dental, nutrition, or behavioral health services, we see firsthand how school-based health helps change lives for the better.”
Choptank Health’s school-based care journey began in 1999 with four school-based health centers in Caroline County Public Schools. Over the years, Choptank Health’s commitment to the community has expanded, with school-based health centers and programs now spanning all five of Maryland’s Mid-Shore counties.
Today, Choptank Health’s 18 school-based health centers and a mobile health unit reach more than 8,000 students each year, providing dental services in Dorchester County; medical, dental, nutrition, and behavioral health services in Caroline and Talbot Counties; and medical and dental services in Queen Anne’s and Kent Counties.
The school-based health centers are a partnership between Choptank Health, Maryland Department of Health, county health departments, and each county’s public school system. Care is coordinated with the student’s primary care provider and/or primary dentist.
Services include in-person, virtual, curbside, well, and urgent care during the school year and over the summer. Students can receive diagnosis and treatment of illnesses, behavioral health services, nutrition services, educational services, and more.
Choptank Health’s school-based dental programs include dental screenings and sealants, polishing/cleanings, oral health education, fluoride treatments, and dental emergency referrals.
Choptank Community Health System provides medical and dental services to more than 30,000 adults and children across Maryland’s Mid-Shore.
With a mission to provide access to exceptional, comprehensive, and integrated healthcare for all, Choptank Health’s services include primary healthcare, women’s health, pediatrics, behavioral health, chronic health management, lab services, care navigation, and more.
Student enrollment forms and more about Choptank Community Health System’s school-based health programs are at www.choptankhealth.org/schoolbased.
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