# School Based Health Centers - An approach to address health disparities among rural youth.

> **NIH NIH R01** · CORNELL UNIVERSITY · 2024 · $607,951

## Abstract

Project summary abstract
Low-income rural youth face negative social determinants of health and challenges in accessing health care.
School-Based Health Centers (SBHCs) are an innovative response to increase access, but their impact in rural
communities is not well documented. This project proposes a multilevel mixed-methods evaluation of an SBHC
network operating in 4 low-income rural counties in New York state. Run by the Bassett Healthcare Network,
these SBHCs are permanent, on-site, year-round and attend to the full range of healthcare needs (physical,
dental, mental, chronic and acute) at no out-of-pocket cost to patients. The setting permits a quasi-experimental
design to assess SBHC impact by comparing 16 school districts with SBHCs and 22 school districts without. The
project involves a multi-disciplinary team of Cornell University and Bassett researchers and community partners.
The project will use both qualitative data (from semi-structured interviews and focus groups) and quantitative
data (administrative data, survey, and patient healthcare visit data) and multilevel analytical methods to address
three aims: Aim 1. Assess the impact of SBHCs on healthcare utilization. We will assemble a panel dataset
of all patient visits to Bassett healthcare facilities over 12 years (2011-2022) to measure healthcare utilization
(frequency, location, services) for preventive care (e.g., well-care, vaccinations) and care for acute and chronic
conditions (e.g., asthma, mental health) among children in school districts with and without SBHCs. Aim 2.
Assess the impact of SBHCs on cross-agency collaboration. We will assess provision of social services in
the 4-county study area through document research, focus groups, interviews with school and community
leaders, and a survey of agency leaders. We will identify and measure factors that differentiate the level of cross-
agency collaboration among healthcare providers, community agencies, and local governments for each school
district. Aim 3. Assess the impact of SBHCs and cross-agency collaboration on school performance and
on community healthcare utilization. Combining data from multiple levels (patient, school district, and county)
will enable us to assess the different roles SBHCs play in addressing social determinants of health. Community
outcome measures include school attendance and broader community healthcare utilization. Study results will
enhance understanding of how SBHCs may shape health outcomes and contribute to individual and community
wellbeing to inform rural health policy.

## Key facts

- **NIH application ID:** 10934483
- **Project number:** 5R01MD018385-02
- **Recipient organization:** CORNELL UNIVERSITY
- **Principal Investigator:** Wendy Brunner
- **Activity code:** R01 (R01, R21, SBIR, etc.)
- **Funding institute:** NIH
- **Fiscal year:** 2024
- **Award amount:** $607,951
- **Award type:** 5
- **Project period:** 2023-09-24 → 2028-04-30

## Primary source

NIH RePORTER: https://reporter.nih.gov/project-details/10934483

## Citation

> US National Institutes of Health, RePORTER application 10934483, School Based Health Centers - An approach to address health disparities among rural youth. (5R01MD018385-02). Retrieved via AI Analytics 2026-05-25 from https://api.ai-analytics.org/grant/nih/10934483. Licensed CC0.

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