School health centers on track for better aid

By Mark Boshnack
Staff Writer

June 20, 2009 04:00 am

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Legislation making its way through the House and Senate would provide more-sustainable funding for local school-based health care programs, several officials said.

In this area, Bassett Healthcare runs school-based health centers in a collaborative effort at nine area school districts for children in pre-kindergarten through grade 12, according to its director, Dr. Chris Kjolhede. Grant funding was recently received for three more, he said.

The service provides comprehensive health care during school hours, he said.

There are other schools that want to participate, but "we can't move forward without more secure funding," Kjolhede said.

The proposed legislation would put the service in a better financial position, he said.

Chenango Memorial Hospital in Norwich operates several local centers, according to the United Health Services website, but a call to its community relations department was not returned.

At Bassett, the program is mostly funded through reimbursements from personal insurance, grants and the state Department of Health, Kjolhede said.

There's been little support on the federal level, he said.

This would change with the legislation introduced in the Senate in May and in the House this week, he said. It would provide a mechanism for reimbursement under the federal Medicaid and State Children's Health Insurance Program, he said.

Currently, the centers face barriers that shut them out of reimbursements from the two programs, although students without coverage are still provided services, Kjolhede said.

"In these trying times, we are seeing more and more needing access to health care," he said, "and they don't have access to private insurance."

Bassett centers are operating at the following school districts: Sherburne-Earlville, Edmeston, Morris, Laurens, Cooperstown, Delhi, South Kortright, Worcester and Middleburgh. Funding was recently received for programs at Sidney, Schenevus and Stamford, he said.

According to the UHS website, CMH services are provided at the following schools: Norwich, Oxford Academy, Unadilla Valley and Bainbridge-Guilford.

Several area legislators commented on the issue through their representatives.

New York Sen. Charles Schumer will be co-sponsoring the Senate bill. The state's junior senator, Kirsten Gillibrand, is generally a supporter of school-based centers, a spokeswoman said, but is still looking into the details of this legislation.

In the House, Rep. Michael Arcuri, D-Utica, said he will be a co-sponsor as well.