First Focus Campaign for Children told the leaders of the House Energy and Commerce Committee that school-based health centers offer vital access to health care for children and teens, and promote positive education and lifetime economic outcomes.
“These centers provide convenient, affordable health care,” Campaign for Children President Bruce Lesley wrote in a letter of support for H.R. 8209, the School-Based Health Centers Reauthorization Act of 2026, “offering a range of services, such as flu shots, mental health care, dental and eye exams, checkups, and referrals to specialists, based on local needs. Giving children and teens better access to health care makes them healthier and puts them in a better position to learn—helping them do better in school, increasing graduation rates, and decreasing school discipline cases.”