School Health Centers Get $5M to Expand Telehealth Access to Care

With schools returning to in-person learning or juggling remote options, the Biden Administration is investing more than $5 million in school-based health centers that often use telehealth to help students access a variety of care services.

The Department of Health and Human Services is awarding the grants to 27 centers at new or existing Health Center Program sites in 19 states, which offer primary and mental health services, oral and vision care and enabling services such as transportation, outreach and translation services. These services are offered both in-person and through telehealth, an important option during the pandemic.

"We have worked with the communities, school districts, and health centers to tailor the services offered at these sites based on the community's needs and existing resources," HRSA Acting Administrator Diana Espinosa said in a press release. "In addition to comprehensive primary health care, this funding will support sites that are expanding access to behavioral health services—which are critical to the overall health of America's youth."

School-based telehealth services were becoming increasingly popular before the pandemic as schools sought to improve student access to care, particularly primary and behavioral health services, in an effort to reduce absenteeism and improve student outcomes. That need skyrocketed with COVID-19, which compelled more school districts to adopt connected health platforms, sometimes giving students and their families their only access to any type of care.

These platforms are expected to remain popular beyond the pandemic, enabling schools to address student health needs – including chronic care management – in school, reducing the burden on parents to transport that children to the doctor’s office, and helping schools address the growing need for behavioral health and substance abuse care.