Parents Cite Importance Of

Health Care In Schools

WASHINGTON, D.C. — While less than half of the country’s public schools employ a full-time nurse or offer on site health services, a new survey by the nationally renowned Robert Wood Johnson Foundation found that approximately eight in ten parents support health care services in schools.

The survey found broad support for health care in schools across political and demographic groups, including large majorities of both Democratic and Republican parents, African American, Hispanic, and white parents and low-income and more affluent parents.

“Many parents are under the false impression that a school nurse is on the premises all the time or that their child has access to needed health care services at school,” said Julia Lear, PhD, director of the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools. “But that isn’t the case. In fact, many of the nation’s 90,000 public schools do not have a full-time nurse on staff.”

Almost nine in ten parents find convincing the argument that “teaching kids about how to keep themselves healthy is as important as teaching them about reading, writing, and arithmetic.” In addition, 81 percent of parents are convinced that schools may be the only source of health care for uninsured students.

“State and local budgets are under pressure and being cut across the country, but government officials need to know that health care in schools is vitally important,” said Judith Stavisky, senior program officer of the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation.

The only argument against providing health in schools was a financial one; 56 percent agreed that “money for education is limited and health care would take money away from more important priorities.”

But, according to Dr Lear, this is a choice at times limited by economic and other circumstances. “Kids can’t learn if they’re not healthy,” she said. “Access to health services at school can improve a child’s chances of academic achievement.”

For more information, visit the Center for Health and Health Care in Schools website at www.healthinschools.org.