Pathways

Health Hubs for Students

The concept of comprehensive school based health centers is growing in popularity across the country. Since 2000, we at Pathways have been part of two such centers in Alameda County high schools that act as “health hubs” for students.

Pathways Counseling Center, the comprehensive mental health services department of Girls Incorporated of Alameda County, has provided vital resources to the Alameda County community since the early 1970s. We create community partnerships to provide as many avenues of access to mental health resources as possible. Although we provide services for all community members, we recognize that it is especially critical for youth to have easy access to mental health resources. This is due to the fact that although many teens have depression and anxiety, and some more severe mental health and emotional issues, it is difficult for them to self-identify these issues. Also, they can be easily mis-assessed within the schools as having exclusively behavioral problems. Without treatment, these problems can intensify over time. Unfortunately, the three most common causes of death among adolescents are homicide, suicide, and injury (self-injury or accident).

The comprehensive school based health centers approach is growing in popularity because it gives a familiar, physical site for students to find youth-friendly services. Adolescents also feel encouraged to proactively manage their health because no referrals or insurance are needed and services are confidential. The school-based health centers are truly a portal for all resources—often with a separate identity from the school itself.

Whether the initial visit is for a band aid or health education, students gain familiarity with the school-based health center. They come to understand the predictability of the facility and the other services that are provided there. This enables students to be proactive in recognizing their mental and physical health issues. Because so many services are offered at the clinics, there is no stigma associated with walking into the school-based center.

Other avenues of access that Pathways provides to the community are:
• Our case managers sit on School Attendance Review Boards (SARB). SARBs are school districts’ forum for hearing kids with truancy issues. The case manager advocates for the student, the student’s family and for their needs. This helps the student stay in school and receive public services to meet her/his needs. (i.e. mental health services, education evaluations, food services, etc.)
• Consultation services for all Girls Inc. program facilitators—to help the staff understand the issues that their girls are dealing with and problems that come up in the classroom.

Collaborative community partners of Pathways that could be a resource to you and/or your loved ones include:
• http://www.californiateenhealth.org/ (California Adolescent Health Collaborative)
• http://www.nasbhc.org/site/c.jsJPKWPFJrH/b.2554077/k.BEE7/Home.htm (National Assembly on School-Based Health Care)
• http://www.schoolhealthcenters.org/ (California School Health Centers Association)

If you are interested in learning more about the mental health of youth in America, we recommend the Surgeon General’s Report on Mental Health:
• http://www.surgeongeneral.gov/library/mentalhealth/home.html

Best,
Rebecca Cannon, MFT
Chief Mental Health Officer

Alex Mendez, PH.D.
Director of School Base Mental Health Programming
Case Management Supervisor