Health Center at Options

Typically, SBHCs help students and families enroll in insurance and connect with a primary care provider, mental health provider and/or other specialty providers as needed. SBHCs coordinate care with other community service providers to ensure efficient and effective care. There are more than 70 SBHCs around Washington State.  

The school based health center at Options is a convenient, comfortable, and confidential space for mental health services. Phase two will include medical services as well.  

To learn more about school based health centers, visit the Washington School Based Health Alliance website.  

Beginning in September 2024, the SBHC started to provide mental health services and a private space for students to access telemedicine appointments. Compass Health will serve students with Apple Health (Medicaid) and we are working to provide support for students with private or no insurance.  

Beginning January 2025, Sea Mar Community Health Centers started to provide onsite primary care in a newly renovated space in Options.  

Bellingham Public Schools is proud to host health care partners onsite. Just like any health care services, students or families will need to provide health insurance information and complete intake forms for the agency providing services (e.g. Compass Health for mental health services).  

If the student and family would like school staff and health center staff to be able to share student information with school staff or other health care providers, they should complete a release of information authorization form. This is not required to receive services. A full disclosure of confidentiality will be provided at intake. 

To ensure the health center serves both the highest numbers of students and those with the greatest needs, mental health services will be “brief, solution-based framework” for mental health care, which includes 8-12 sessions. As the end of the series approaches, clinicians and their supervisor will make a plan with the student on how to meet their needs going forward (e.g. outside referrals, group work). 

The center will be staffed by community partners. Compass Health will provide mental health services, and Sea Mar will provide medical services. Bellingham Public Schools’ primary role is to provide the space. Our employees will not provide any of the primary care; however, the school nurse will work collaboratively with health care clinic staff, as allowable through health care laws and with parent and student permissions.  

Yes, although we have been providing space for partner mental health counseling services such as Compass Health on site at our schools for many years. 

Health care partners will follow their typical protocols for minors accessing care. We believe that care will be more effective with family involvement. 

Students must be enrolled by their families to receive the full range of services provided by the SBHC. Students not enrolled in the SBHC by their families may access confidential reproductive or behavioral health services, according to Washington state’s minor consent laws, as they could with any other healthcare provider in the community. 

Clinic and district staff will make efforts to involve the student’s family in their care. More information will be provided once a health care partner is confirmed.  

All students and visitors will continue to enter through the front entrance and will be required to sign in. Currently, students enrolled in Aerospace engineering come to Options for that program and the SBHC will follow the same procedures. At this time, we will not be advertising health center services broadly. We will monitor whether foot traffic becomes disruptive to the school. 

The cost of this project has been fully covered by grant funds that do not conflict or compete with education funding. Funding includes a two-year SBHC grant through the state Department of Health (2023-2025) for the ongoing start-up work including the phase one renovations, project management and supplies, and support for the health care partner. We also received state capital funds to pay for the full renovation to add medical services. No general education funds have been spent towards this project. Once the center is complete, community partners will staff the center, provide the care, and bill insurance for services provided. No one will be turned away for inability to pay.  

Additionally, school-based health centers have been shown to increase student attendance and reduce family absences from work since the student accesses onsite care during or immediately after the school day. This is an investment in student achievement and wellbeing. 

The SBHC provides physical, behavioral, and other health services beyond the scope of the school nurse, supporting and complementing—not replacing—the school nurse role in student health. SBHC providers and the school nurse work collaboratively to improve student health and academic outcomes. 

SBHCs help students and families enroll in insurance and connect with a primary care provider if they don’t have one and other specialty providers, as needed. If they do have a primary care provider, SBHCs coordinate with other providers to ensure efficient and effective care.  

 You can find a full list of school based health centers through the Washington School Based Health Alliance: https://wasbha.org/sbhcs-in-washington-2/  

And here is a fact sheet from the WA state Department of Health with numbers. https://doh.wa.gov/sites/default/files/2022-02/141-039-SBHCFactSheetOnePager.pdf  

The first phase of renovations for the Health Center at Options began in January 2024 and was completed in April. This provided space for one-on-one mental health therapy and support groups. We are still in the design and permitting process for phase two, which will add medical services to Options.  

The renovations affected two areas: an existing classroom and a room formerly used for providing basic needs supplies such as clothing and food. OHS was designed and envisioned as a campus with additional wraparound services for students, and having a health center on site is part of this vision.   

The cost of this project has been fully covered by grant funds. The initial planning grant of $50,000 was primarily used for project management of processes including running the Task Force, conducting aneeds assessment and learning processes (e.g. visiting health centers in Seattle), outreach to potential partners, as well as supporting monthly student feedback sessions at OHS. We then secured two additional grants: A two-year grant through the state Department of Health for the ongoing start-up work including the phase one renovations, project management and supplies, and support for the health care partner. We also received $300,000 in state capital funds to pay for the full phase 2 renovation to add medical services.  No general education funds have been spent toward the SBHC. Once the center is complete, community partners will staff the center and provide the care. The health care partner will bill insurance for services provided, but no one will be turned away for inability to pay.  

Additionally, school-based health centers have been shown to increase student attendance and reduce family absences from work since the student accesses onsite care during or immediately after the school day. This is an investment in student achievement and wellbeing.