Impact of School-Based Health Centers on Improving Health

School-based health centers (SBHCs) may help to promote health by making care more accessible and affordable to school-aged children. Prior research generally suggests benefits from SBHCs. However, most studies only examine a few SBHCs and report correlational associations rather than causal evidence. This proposed study of SBHCs in California and Oregon will overcome the limitations of prior studies by using a large sample and rigorous causal inference methods. Because both states have experienced recent growth in SBHCs, we will exploit variation in availability of SBHCs over time and across schools to compare the impact of SBHCs on students before and after the opening of SBHCs in treatment schools (with SBHCs) and control schools (without SBHCs). Using multiple years of health insurance claims data, survey data, and education data, we will: (1) characterize SBHCs, including the services they provide, the patients receiving care at SBHCs, and changes over time; (2) estimate the impact of SBHC access on health care utilization, cost, health outcomes, and education outcomes; and (3) examine the dimensions on which SBHC characteristics vary, including location, services offered, and size to inform the operation of current SBHCS and design of future SBHCs. The proposed research is timely and important due to longstanding and new barriers to health care and the increasing recognition of the importance of schools in promoting the healthy development of children and adolescents.