Purpose

To broaden and clarify the services that school-based health centers (SBHCs) can provide, update how they use telehealth, and establish funding mechanisms (stabilization grants) for SBHCs through the state health department.

Main Provisions

• Expanded list of services SBHCs may provide:
  • Preventive health care
  • Chronic medical condition management (including diabetes and asthma care)
  • Mental health care and crisis management, trauma recovery, and operating support groups
  • Acute care for illness and injury
  • Oral health care
  • Vision care
  • Nutritional counseling
  • Substance abuse counseling
  • Referral to a specialist medical home or hospital for care
  • Care coordination among schools, families, and community health care providers
  • Home visits and community-based care to serve students who cannot safely attend school
  • Additional services addressing social determinants of health
  • Emerging services such as mobile health and the provision of health services and mental health services via telehealth
• Telehealth requirements:
  • Telehealth services must be provided in conjunction with in-person care to the extent possible, or provided responsively when students are not in attendance.
• Safeguards on school staff roles:
  • SBHCs must not replace the daily student support provided in schools by educational student service providers, including licensed school nurses, educational psychologists, school social workers, and school counselors.
• Funding and implementation:
  • The commissioner of health is to distribute stabilization grants to SBHCs.
  • The bill appropriates money to fund these stabilization grants and amends Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 145.903 subdivision 3 to reflect the expanded services.

Significant Changes to Existing Law

• Expands the scope of services that SBHCs may offer beyond current provisions, explicitly including mental health, crisis management, trauma recovery, and operating support groups, as well as home visits, community-based care, and legally recognized telehealth services.
• Requires a funding mechanism (stabilization grants) administered by the commissioner of health to support SBHCs.
• Adds explicit language about the use of telehealth, ensuring it complements in-person care and does not replace the essential on-site student support provided by school staff.

Practical Impact

• Schools may provide a broader range of health and mental health services on-site and in the community, potentially improving access to care for students, including those who have difficulty attending school.
• Telehealth will be integrated with in-person care, increasing flexibility for students needing services outside school hours or in cases where in-person visits aren’t feasible.
• The plan emphasizes maintaining essential school-based supports from familiar school staff and ensuring SBHCs supplement rather than substitute those roles.
• Stable funding through stabilization grants aims to help SBHCs operate, expand, and sustain these services.

Note on Terminology

The summary uses terms from the bill such as schoolbased health center, telehealth, mobile health, social determinants of health, chronic medical condition management, care coordination, and stabilization grants.

Relevant Terms - schoolbased health center - telehealth - in-person care - preventive health care - chronic medical condition management - diabetes - asthma - mental health care - crisis management - trauma recovery - operating support groups - acute care - oral health care - vision care - nutritional counseling - substance abuse counseling - referral - medical home - care coordination - home visits - community-based care - social determinants of health - mobile health - stabilization grants - commissioner of health - Minnesota Statutes 2024 section 145.903 subdivision 3