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Regular Session, 2013 ENROLLED
SENATE RESOLUTION NO. 51
BY SENATOR MILLS
A RESOLUTION
To designate April 25, 2013, as "School-Based Health Center Awareness Day".
WHEREAS, school-based health centers are an important statewide resource helping
to address the health care needs of underserved and uninsured children, providing needed
preventative, diagnostic and treatment services, including direct primary and mental health
care for acute and chronic illnesses, health education, case management assistance, and
immunizations; and
WHEREAS, the centers provide vital counseling for more recently understood health
care concerns that have replaced infectious diseases as the major ailments of childhood,
including such risk factors as childhood obesity, smoking, substance abuse, violence, and
safety issues, as well as behavioral problems ranging from mild to severe; and
WHEREAS, in 1990, as policy makers became concerned about the high morbidity
and mortality rates of adolescents, the Office of Public Health was asked to determine the
feasibility of opening school-based health centers; and
WHEREAS, in 1991, the Adolescent School Health Initiative was enacted and
school-based health centers came into existence; and
WHEREAS, a center provides convenient access to comprehensive, primary and
preventive physical and mental health services for public school students at the school site;
and
WHEREAS, as students spend a significant portion of their day on school grounds,
school-based health centers are accessible, convenient, encourage family and community
involvement, reduce student absenteeism, reduce parental leave from work for doctor visits,
and work with school personnel to meet the needs of the students and their families; and
WHEREAS, school-based health centers complement school nurses and social
workers, where they exist, since school nurses and social workers are often limited in the
scope of care they can give students; and SR NO. 51 ENROLLED
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WHEREAS, the centers are able to provide comprehensive health services to
students, providing treatment for minor illness and injury, comprehensive physicals,
behavioral health counseling, treatments for chronic or acute diseases, required vaccines, and
other beneficial services to enhance the learning environment of a school; and
WHEREAS, school-based health centers provide primary and preventative care to
school age children in twenty-eight parishes throughout Louisiana, in sixty-six school-based
health centers; and
WHEREAS, there were 153,000 patient visits to school-based health centers during
Fiscal Year 2010-2011.
THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED by the Senate of the Legislature of Louisiana that
April 25, 2013, is hereby designated as "School-Based Health Center Awareness Day".
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED that a copy of this Resolution be transmitted to the
Louisiana Assembly on School-Based Health Care.
PRESIDENT OF THE SENATE