Access Barriers to Rural and Urban School-Based Health Centers

School-based health centers (SBHC) are strategic settings for improving children's access to and utilization of physical, mental and preventive health services, including health promotion and wellness education. These services can benefit all children, especially those who are under insured, uninsured and lack a specific source of ongoing health care. It is important that students and the school community view SBHC's as a viable option for quality health care. Research indicates that students who lack quality health care experience delayed care and increased school absences. The aim of this study was to explore the perceptions of New Mexico students and teachers from rural and urban middle schools about SBHC‘s and the reasons why student non-users have not utilized the services at their school. Phase 1 of the study included a random sample of public rural and urban middle grade schools in New Mexico with SBHC's (n=81). A stratified purposive sample of 7th grade students was recruited to participate in focus group discussions. Groups were stratified based on grade level, gender, and race/ethnicity. Phase 2 of the study included a random sample of teachers who were invited to participate in an anonymous online survey regarding their perceptions of SBHC's. Themes from rural and urban focus group discussions and results from the online teacher survey suggest the importance of unique marketing strategies for non-users of SBHC's and strategies for generating teacher support to reduce access barriers for rural and urban school populations.