HHC Awarded Nearly $ 1 Million to Renovate and Expand School-Based Health Centers
Federal Affordable Care Act funds will help Woodhull, Bellevue, Queens Hospital Center and Elmhurst Hospitals to renovate six school health clinics and provide more health care services for New York City children
Jul 26, 2011
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) received over $940,000 in Affordable Care Act funding for capital improvements at six school-based health centers (SBHCs) that are operated by Woodhull Medical Center, Bellevue Hospital Center, Queens Hospital Center and Elmhurst Hospital Center. The funding will help the HHC hospitals upgrade the current school-based clinics in order to serve more children and provide health services that include case management of chronic health problems, preventive health screenings and counseling, medication administration, health education, and referrals to other specialty services. The federal grants were announced by U.S. Department of Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius last week as part of a national effort to expand access to and improve delivery of health care at SBHC sites.
“The new investments will help these six school-based health centers improve and expand access to healthcare for students,” said HHC President Alan D. Aviles. “From adding entirely new exam rooms to updating equipment and even installing air conditioning, these renovations will not only upgrade the existing facilities but will also help ensure that these students are getting the care that they deserve.”
Approximately 130 school-based health centers provide on-site primary care – including preventive and urgent care – to elementary, intermediate and high school students in all five boroughs. HHC operates over 20 of those SBHCs. They can serve as a student’s primary care provider or complement services provided by an outside primary care physician. They also provide scheduled and walk-in services when school is in session and 24-hour telephone coverage to assist with out-of-school problems. SBHCs care for students without regard to insurance status.
School-Based Health Center Capital Program grants awarded to HHC hospitals:
Woodhull Medical and Mental Health Center – $500,000
Two school-based health centers in Brooklyn – 850 Grand Street Campus which houses three high schools and the William J. Gaynor Intermediate School Campus – will get a new examination room, a new Point of Care (POC) Laboratory for rapid testing, new reception and waiting areas, and new furniture and equipment. In addition, funding will be used to tailor the electronic health records to address specific school clinic services. The William J. Gaynor Campus School has a student body of 900 and its health center serves approximately 500 students. The 850 Grand Street Campus has a student body of approximately 2,500 and its health center serves approximately 800 students.
Bellevue Hospital Center – $350,000
The school-based health center at Norman Thomas High School will be modernized. The renovations will include two new exam rooms, a new IT space that will house new screening equipment for vision and hearing, new furniture and equipment, and new sinks. The upgrades will increase capacity and improve efficiency in the center. Norman Thomas High School has over 1,500 students and nearly 90 percent are served at the school-based health center. Over the past three years the Norman Thomas High School SBHC has screened over 3,000 teens to identify obesity and Type II diabetes, and offer appropriate treatment and referral.
Queens Hospital Center – $81,074
The grant will be used to completely refurbish the school-based health center at P.S. 86 with new furniture and equipment and an additional exam room. The school’s health center serves approximately half of the 950 students. The health center also provides focused care to students to address obesity, asthma and other chronic health conditions. A portion of this grant will be used to update equipment at the Springfield Gardens Educational Center Health Center. The Center operates as the school-based health center program for four high schools in the community with a student body of more than 1,600 students and provides full comprehensive care and reproductive health care to more than half of those students.
Elmhurst Hospital Center – $10,000
The grant will be used to purchase new equipment for the Long Island City High School school-based health center which will help improve quality and access of care. The school’s health center serves a student body of over 3,400 and currently provides comprehensive care to about a quarter of those students.
The SBHCs receiving funding through HHC are just 6 out of nearly 20 in New York City and 278 nationwide that were awarded a total of $95 million in order to help clinics expand and provide more health care services at schools. The announced grants were the first in a series of $200 million in funding that will be made available for capital needs to school-based health centers under the Affordable Care Act.
About HHC
The New York City Health and Hospitals Corporation (HHC) is a $6.7 billion integrated healthcare delivery system with its own 420,000 member health plan, MetroPlusHealth, and is the largest municipal healthcare organization in the country. HHC serves 1.4 million New Yorkers every year and more than 475,000 are uninsured. HHC provides medical, mental health and substance abuse services through its 11 acute care hospitals, five skilled nursing facilities, six large diagnostic and treatment centers and more than 70 community based clinics. HHC Health and Home Care also provides in-home services for New Yorkers. HHC was the 2008 recipient of the National Quality Forum and The Joint Commission’s John M. Eisenberg Award for Innovation in Patient Safety and Quality. For more information, visit www.nychhc.org/hhc or find us on facebook.com/NYCHealthSystem or twitter.com/NYCHealthSystem.