Connecting Teens to Caring Adults in a School-Based Health Center: A Case Study

Abstract

The traditional medical care system is generally unable to provide the broad health and wellness services needed by many adolescents, especially those from low-income and racial/ethnic minority communities. Using a theoretical framework adapted from Bronfenbrenner’s ecological model of multiple influencers, this case study examined how a school-based health center was able to provide a network of connections for adolescents to caring adults within the school and the local community. Contributors to this network were the creation of a student-centered community with access to adolescent-friendly services, providers acting as connectors, and care of the whole adolescent.