Capito Visits Riverside Health Clinic To Discuss School Health Bill
Press Release
Legislation recently introduced in Congress could provide an additional $50 million in annual support for the nation's school-based health clinics. Rep. Shelley Moore Capito, R-W.Va. - a sponsor of the measure - spent Monday morning visiting one such clinic in Kanawha County.
Capito joined officials from the West Virginia School-Based Health Assembly at the Riverside Wellness Center for a tour of the facility and a discussion about the School-Based Health Clinic Establishment Act.
"We know school-based health clinics can play an incredibly important role in promoting healthy behavior," said Capito. "This bill is about supporting the school-based clinics we already have, but also about expanding the reach of school-based clinics to other under-served communities."
In West Virginia, school-based health clinics provide preventive care, basic medical care, dental screening and other core services for students at 60 schools in 24 counties. During the 2006-07 school year, more than 24,000 students visited West Virginia school-based clinics.
"There is a huge interest among parents and students about the need for school-based health clinics in West Virginia," said Becky King, coordinator of the West Virginia School-Based Health Assembly. "Because of the leadership of Congresswoman Capito in sponsoring this legislation, West Virginia and other states stand to benefit from expanding school-based health clinics to more students."
In addition to core medical services, school-based clinics often also address a range of counseling needs related to issues like school violence, asthma, obesity or tobacco use. Their services have also been shown to limit absenteeism and improve academic performance.
The bipartisan legislation sponsored by Capito, Rep. Lois Capps, D-Cal., and others would create a $50 million annual grant program within the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services. Funds would first be available in 2010 and would extend through 2014, for a five-year total of $250 million.
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