Mental health nurses, student

The bulk of the needs assessment can be completed by talking with key stakeholders in the schools such as mental health providers, teachers, students, families, and school administrators. Acosta (2001) emphasizes the importance of connecting with any existing mental health personnel in a school (e.g., school psychologists, social workers, counselors, nurses) during the needs assessment to form allies... 

Although special education services are certainly warranted and valuable for many children with special health care needs, school-based health centers (sbhcs) offer another mechanism to address the needs of these students. As mentioned, SBHCS now number over 1200 in the United States and have expanded to include a range of preventive, primary care, and mental health services. A common staffing pattern for an sbhc would include a medical assistant, nurse coordinator (often an rn), nurse practitioner or physician assistant, a mental health professional (usually master s-level or doctoral trainee), and a consulting physician. Some centers have additional staff, including health educators, outreach workers, and dentists (Juszcak et al., 1995). 

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