Repealing Mandatory Funding for School Health Center Construction

Floor Speech

* Mr. DAVIS of Illinois. Mr. Chair, I make a motion to strike the last word. I oppose H.R. 1214, a bill that would repeal mandatory funding for school-based health centers construction.

* Funding for the school-based health centers will ensure that nearly 2 million children and adolescents across the country will have access to quality comprehensive medical care, mental health services, oral health services, preventive care, social services, and youth development. These centers typically help children and adolescents who often do not have access to family doctors of their own.

* School-based health centers have demonstrated their successes and accomplishments in attracting harder to reach populations, especially minorities and males and providing crucial services such as mental health care and high-risk behavior screens. Some analysts have reported that 10 out of 21 adolescents were more likely to come to school-based health centers for mental health services than other types of health facilities.

When students have access to health centers to receive counseling, they are less likely to miss school or be tardy to class versus those students who do not receive access to similar services.

* Students perform better in school when they are healthy and ready to learn. Our school-based health centers are cost effective and provide an ideal setting to administer preventative health care to children. Several research studies have shown that school-based health centers help in reducing Medicaid expenditures related to inpatient, drug, and emergency room use, and improvements in health outcome. It is important that we remain committed to funding these health centers and provide the necessary investments in our children and our nation's health.

* I urge all my colleagues to vote no on H.R. 1214.

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