North Carolina Student Community Health Alliance (NCSCHA)
What are Health Centers?
School health centers are partnerships created by schools and community health organizations to provide medical and mental health services that promote the health and educational success of school-aged youth.
What is NCSCHA?
The North Carolina School Community Health Alliance (NCSCHA) is the statewide organization supporting the work of school health centers. The more than 50 school health centers in 20+ North Carolina counties are considered one of the most effective strategies for delivering preventive care, including mental health services to adolescents – a population long considered difficult to reach. Services are accessible and affordable and target the primary health issues facing our youth.
Most centers are located within schools (school-based) to provide comprehensive healthcare to students. Several are located in communities near schools (school-linked) and work closely with school staff. A few even operate from traveling vans or buses to serve several schools. The majority are partially funded by the School Health Center Unit in the Children and Youth Branch of the NC Division of Public Health. The State works in partnership with the centers’ Alliance to support and provide technical assistance to the centers.