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They were too busy caring for students.

That underscores the importance of these health centers, and the need to keep funding and support for them healthy, participants said at the program, which was hosted by state Sen. Richard T. Moore, D-Uxbridge, and held at the school.

Blackstone Valley Tech is home to one of 49 school-based health care sites across the state. Last year the center treated more than 1,000 students, according to Bernadette Gleeson, nurse practitioner of the school-based health center.

About 700 students were treated last year at the center for medical issues. The remainder of the cases involves mental health-related issues, she said.

The center opened in the fall of 2001. When additions and renovations to the school were completed, the center was expanded, and now includes two exam rooms and an office.

The state Department of Public Health funds the center. Milford Regional Medical Center serves as the sponsoring agency.

The center is staffed by two school nurses and a nurse practitioner. Dr. Nupar Gupta, who specializes in adolescent medicine, is the consulting physician.

“The shift in the health care system is to give (patients) health care where they are at,” she said.

Students consider school a home away from home, several speakers said, which makes it a natural place to receive health care services.

Student feedback supports that, Ms. Gleeson said. “They feel free to come and get care,” she said. The center is “more user-friendly. It kind of speaks their language, if you will.”

Students and their families are not charged for these services. Costs not covered by health insurance are assumed by Milford Regional Medical Center.

Receiving adequate health care is crucial in keeping students alert and able to learn, said Mr. Moore, who was widely praised at the event for his support of the center.

Students “cannot learn when they are distracted by health issues,” said Janice Yost, president and CEO of The Health Foundation of Central Massachusetts.

“School-based health centers, because they are so easily accessible for children, can be an important first step in assuring that children receive the care they need,” she added in a prepared statement.

During the 2004-2005 school year, 13,426 students visited school-based health centers across the state at least once, according to Massachusetts Department of Public Health statistics. Slightly more than half of the students were treated for acute or chronic medical conditions, such as asthma and diabetes.

The next most common type of service was preventative care, such as physical exams and wellness checks. Next on the list was therapeutic counseling.

“Health care is really critical to ensuring that kids succeed in school,” said Ernia Hughes, executive director of Massachusetts Coalition of School-Based Health Centers. “The continuity and availability of school staff is really comforting to kids.” 

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