Chicago Public Schools (CPS) serves more than 320,000 students (2022-23 school year). The majority of students are children of color (Black: 35.8 percent; Latinx: 46.5 percent), and more than two-thirds of students are considered economically disadvantaged.
More than 40 percent of students are obese or overweight, and 25 percent have a chronic condition such as diabetes or asthma. Their current health status, along with limitations on accessing healthcare, means schools are the main healthcare provider for many of these students. In addition, schools are managing COVID testing as well as dealing with the trauma students are experiencing due to the pandemic.
Even before COVID, episodes of depression and worsening behavioral health were on the rise; the number of mood and depressive disorder hospitalizations for youth and teens has been increasing over the past two decades. The situation has only become worse during the pandemic. A survey of Chicago parents between November 2020 and February 2021 found that nearly half had talked with their child’s primary care doctor about mental or behavioral health concerns within the last year.
All of this makes a strong school health system imperative.
Through the work of Illinois Safe Schools Alliance and the School Health Access Collaborative (SHAC), PHIMC works with school and health systems to support the physical, mental, and emotional development of young people so that schools can be a place where students feel safe and supported and can learn and thrive.
Background
In 2017, Healthy Schools Campaign and Public Health Institute of Metropolitan Chicago conducted an analysis to identify existing models of school health service delivery in Chicago, further understand the infrastructure that supports school health, and identify gaps, challenges, and opportunities for enhancement. This work and the partnerships forged through this analysis evolved into what is now the School Health Access Collaborative.
Despite studies confirming that comprehensive mental and physical health services are an essential component of student success, CPS does not have enough school-based nurses, counselors, social workers, or health partnerships to meet student needs.
Access to care also is hindered by a fragmented service delivery system; poor communication among providers, schools, and families; and inequitable distribution of services. These operational and infrastructure barriers further increase health disparities, leaving students more vulnerable to both acute and chronic health problems.
While the problem of healthcare access is not new, COVID-19 and its impact on schools creates a heightened urgency for better collaboration and investment. These issues inform both School Health Access Collaborative discussions and the projects that some members independently pursue.
