Expanding the Effects of "The Great Equalizer": Schools as Health Centers in Low-Access Rural Communities

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Author
Rachal, Sarah S.
Subject
Washington and Lee University, Shepherd Poverty Program
Health services accessibility
Rural health services
Children -- Health and hygiene
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Sarah Rachal is a member of the Class of 2016 of Washington and Lee University. Capstone; [FULL-TEXT FREELY AVAILABLE ONLINE] Poor children in rural communities face numerous barriers to health care access. School-based health centers (SBHCs) are a potential solution to health care access disparities and may have larger effects on health outcomes in rural schools than in urban schools. In this paper, I present an ethical argument for why SBHCs should be implemented in underserved rural school districts. I additionally evaluate SBHC program types based on the existing outcomes literature and analyze how SBHCs could be modified to best serve rural communities. Sarah Rachal