North Carolina Student Community Health Alliance (NCSCHA)

Start A New Center

So you are considering opening a school health center in your community. You may be in the initial dreaming stages or well on your way towards funding and partnership building. Regardless of where you are in the process of opening a new center, you will probably have questions. It is the goal of this page to assist you in finding answers.

There are as many paths to opening a school health center as there are school health centers, so it would be difficult to answer all possible questions right here. Rather, we are providing a few key resources to help you get moving, and further assistance is just a phone call away. There are many people who have traveled this road before you, and you can benefit immeasurably from their experiences. Don’t hesitate to use them to attain your goal of a happier, healthier student population in your community.

NASBHC Road Map - The National Association on School-Based Health Care is the national advocacy organization for school-based health care, and they have created a “road map” to guide you towards opening a new center. The road map is non-linear, owing to the extremely diverse nature of school health centers, and turns and detours on the map are not dependent upon completion of prior tasks. It is a foundation of resources and tools that will help you along your way. Please visit their road map for more information. Access may now require being a paid member of NASBHC.

NC Department of Health & Human Services - The Division of Public Health, Children and Youth Branch oversees the development and enhancement of school-based and school-linked health centers through technical support and funding of state credentialed and several alternative model centers. Please visit their School Health Centers page or contact Dan Garson-Angert , Clinical Coordinator, School Health Centers Program, directly via email or at 919-707-5666.

NCSCHA - The web site you are on has a tremendous amount of valuable information including sample Forms & Templates, suggested Job Descriptions, educational PowerPoints, Useful Links and much more, but if you cannot find what you need, our staff and the centers we support are our most valuable resource. Please contact our Executive Director Connie Parker directly via email or at 910-254-1245 for insights from years of experience in school health care, or a referral to the director of an existing center that has traveled a path similar to yours.