
Letter from the President
What a year it has been for the School-Based Health Alliance and our movement. We’ve seen school-based health centers (SBHCs) recognized by high-profile organizations and called upon during crises. At the Alliance, we published our core competencies and State Policy Survey, rebuilt our website, broke our census completion record, traveled to Capitol Hill during Awareness Month, and honored two outstanding individuals for their decades-long dedication to championing and advocating for SBHCs.
We also took on an audacious commitment: by 2018, we will increase the number of SBHCs by 30 percent AND that 50 percent of all SBHCs will report key standardized performance measures annually.
These are lofty goals, and we can’t do it without your help. During the 2015 National School-Based Health Care Convention in Austin, Texas, we asked our attendees to share a bold idea to create #MoreSBHCs and their hope for #GreatSBHCs. The responses didn’t disappoint.
Some of your thoughts on how to create #MoreSBHCs included:
- Creating a mentorship program to connect established SBHCs with newer health centers
- Connecting school-based health care advocates with mental health, education, and faith-based folks who are passionate about the health of children and adolescents
- Providing more services in elementary and middle schools to catch issues earlier and have a larger impact
For how to support #GreatSBHCs, many of you offered aspirational goals:
- That SBHCs will recognize, address and improve outcomes for social determinants of health
- That SBHCs will provide individualized mental and physical health plans for each student
- An SBHC in every school!
These are just a few of the strategies offered up in Texas. I encourage you to keep the dialogue going. What can we do to ensure more students have access to health care services in school? How can we create a policy environment that supports new SBHCs? And what will our field look like when we are all demonstrating our impact with a standardized data set? Share your thoughts below.

On the occasion of the Alliance's 20th anniversary, we wanted to recognize and honor two individuals who contributed to the field's political strength over the past two decades.
2015 Lifetime Advocate Award

“Sue fights annually for her state’s investment in SBHCs. She picks up the phone and barks demands of her elected representatives with gentility and Southern charm. And they thank her for the pleasure.”
—John Schlitt, President, School-Based Health Alliance

2015 National Champion Award
“Supporting school-based health care has been a component of Senator Stabenow’s distinguished career. We’re thankful to have her as an advocate.”
—John Schlitt, President, School-Based Health Alliance
States Maintain High-Level Investment

“The data we collect in the state policy survey is vital to our state advocacy efforts. Understanding how these 18 state governments fund their SBHCs allows us to share best practices and help guide new states that are interested in implementing an SBHC program.”
—Suzanne Mackey, Senior Policy Analyst, School-Based Health Alliance
What Makes a Great SBHC?

“With such diversity in the model, I’ve always found it hard to answer the question ‘what is an SBHC?’ With our core competencies, we’re on our way. These seven components highlight the best of high-performing SBHCs.”
—Laura Brey, Vice President for Strategy and Knowledge Management, School-Based Health Alliance

2015 Hill Day
“It’s always a pleasure to meet with my elected officials in Washington, DC. It’s important to share our stories with them so they hear how school-based health care is improving the lives of their constituents. I see these meetings as my obligation to the field and the children we serve. Who will speak for them but me?”
—Sue Catchings, Chief Executive Officer of Health Centers in Schools, Baton Rouge, LA
2014-2015 Financial Report


We would love to hear from you.
(202) 638-5872 • info@sbh4all.org