School-Based Health Center Program

Group of 6 kids laughing and dressed for school with their backpacks and lunches.

About School-Based Health Centers

School-based health centers (SBHCs) are student-focused health centers located in or next to a school. Students can receive integrated medical, mental health, and other health care services, such as dental care. SBHCs can be operated by a community clinic, hospital, healthcare system, public health department, locally controlled tribal health clinic, or tribal health program.

Washington State’s first SBHC program began in Seattle in 1989. Today, there are over 70 SBHCs sponsored by more than 25 different health care organizations throughout the state. SBHCs can help improve school attendance, reduce barriers to learning, and improve access to preventive health care and early intervention services. You can find more information on SBHCs on the Washington School-Based Health Alliance website.

School-Based Health Center Grant Program

The Washington State Legislature passed Substitute House Bill 1225 in 2021. The law (RCW 43.70.825) established the school-based health center (SBHC) grant program at the Washington State Department of Health (DOH) to support the expansion and sustainability of SBHCs to students in public schools, with a focus on communities and populations who have been historically underserved. Through this program, DOH offers SBHC planning, start-up, and operations grants. See the Grant Information page for more details.

In 2021, DOH requested additional support for the new SBHC Program to respond to the growing mental and behavioral health needs of young people. This included a request for funding to expand and improve behavioral health screening, referral and care for adolescents and transition-­age youth in both academic and non-­academic settings, including in SBHCs. See the Behavioral Health SBHC Grant Information page for more details.

2023-2024 Highlights

Last school year, SBHC and Behavioral Health grant recipients continued to implement their planning, start-up, operations, or behavioral health improvement projects. Below are a few highlights from grant-funded SBHCs in the 2023-2024 school year:

  • 6,374 young people used SBHC services
  • Five new grant-funded SBHCs began providing services
  • 6,128 medical visits provided
  • 6,106 behavioral health visits provided

You can read more in the 2023 implementation update fact sheet (PDF) or read about the grantees’ projects on the SBHC Story Map.

SBHC Community Engagement

The DOH SBHC program continues to improve and expand the grant program based on feedback from SBHC grantees, partners, and the SBHC Community Advisory Board. DOH regularly seeks input from SBHC partners on the implementation of the grant program. See the Reports section for recent engagement summaries.

Resources

Reports