O3255: The Johns Hopkins School Health Initiative – a Novel Programmatic Model for the Partnership of Medical Students and School-based Health Centers (SBHC)

Background: School-based health centers (SBHCs) have repeatedly been shown to improve both health and educational outcomes, particularly in low-income communities. Yet their growth has been somewhat stifled by a lack of funding and consequent staffing shortages. Other community interventions facing similar issues have benefited greatly from the incorporation of medical students through formalized, longitudinal partnerships. Despite this, there has been little discussion regarding the utility of such a partnership between medical students and SBHCs. Identifying this issue, the School Health Initiative (SHI) was founded at Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine in partnership with the Rales Health Center (RHC), a SBHC located in KIPP Baltimore, a charter school serving 1620 students in grades K-8. Over 80% of students are eligible for Free and Reduced Meals, 99% identify as Black or African American, and the rates of asthma (30%) and obesity (42%) are both more than double national averages. The goal of the initiative was to provide support to RHC and amplify the services available to families.

Methods: Student leaders worked with RHC staff to identify critical issues that were a) in need of more support and b) amenable to student input. Three key areas were targeted: healthy lifestyle support to combat childhood obesity, management of chronic health conditions, and health education advocacy and promotion. It was determined that three committees would be formed amongst members of the SHI, with each taking on one area of focus.

Results: A total of 18 students were recruited to join the SHI under the supervision of RHC’s medical director. After compiling members’ preferences, five students were assigned to the Healthy Lifestyle Support (HLS) and Health Education Promotion (HEP) teams, and eight were appointed to the Control of Chronic Conditions (CCC) group. The HLS committee began reinvigoration of the RHC’s opt-in weight management program, providing comprehensive diet, exercise, and motivational resources to participating families. The CCC team collaborated with RHC staff to administer asthma screenings for all students in grades 3-6, identifying previously unknown or poorly controlled diagnoses and disseminating appropriate educational materials to families. The HEP group began a campus wide social media campaign to spread awareness about SBHCs and distributed information about Medicaid unwinding to medical students and members of the community.

Conclusion: Large untapped potential exists in regards to partnerships between medical students and SBHCs. The Johns Hopkins SHI provides a model for tapping into this potential and supporting SBHCs in areas of need including – but not limited to – healthy lifestyle support, control of chronic conditions, and health education promotion. Early results from the SHI program have shown the potential utility of such a partnership, and it is our hope that this may serve as a model for similar initiatives at other medical institutions.