(11) Facilitate transportation between the school and the health center if the health center is not located on school or school district property.
(b) Planning
Commencing on or before January 1, 2026, planning grants shall be available in amounts between twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) and fifty thousand dollars ($50,000) for a 6- to 12-month
and one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000), inclusive, for up to a 24-month period to be used for the costs associated with assessing the need for a school school-based health center in a particular community or area, and developing the partnerships necessary for the operation of a school school-based health center in that community or area. Applicants for planning grants shall be required to have a letter of interest from a school or district
local educational agency if the applicant is not a local education educational agency. Grantees provided funding pursuant to this subdivision shall be required to do all of the following:
(1) Seek input from students, parents, school nurses, school staff and administration, local health providers, and if applicable, special population groups, on community health needs, barriers to health care and the need for a school school-based health center.
(2) Collect data on
the school and community to estimate the percentage of students that lack health insurance and the percentage that are eligible for Medi-Cal or private health care coverage benefits, or other public programs providing free or low-cost health services.
(3) Assess capacity and interest among health care providers in the community to provide services in a school school-based health center.
(4) Assess the need for specific cultural or linguistic services or both.
(c) Facilities Commencing
on or before January 1, 2026, facilities and startup grants shall be available in amounts between twenty thousand dollars ($20,000) and two hundred fifty thousand dollars ($250,000) three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000) and eight hundred fifty thousand dollars ($850,000), inclusive, per year for a three-year period for the purpose of establishing a school health center, with the potential addition of one hundred thousand dollars ($100,000) in the first year for facilities construction, purchase, or renovation.
school-based health center. Grant funds may be used to cover a portion or all of the costs associated with designing, retrofitting, renovating, constructing, or buying a facility, facility or mobile health unit, for medical equipment and supplies for a school school-based health center, or for personnel costs at a school health center. Preference will be given to proposals that include a plan for cost sharing among schools,
local educational agencies health providers, and community organizations or that identify match funding for facilities construction and renovation costs. Preference will be given to proposals that include plans to provide integrated primary medical care and behavioral health services. Applicants for facilities and startup grants offered pursuant to this subdivision shall be required to meet the following criteria:
(1) Have completed a community assessment determining the need for a school
school-based
health center.
(2) Have a contract or memorandum of understanding between the school district local educational agency and the health care provider, if other than the district, local educational agency, and any other provider agencies describing the relationship between the district local educational agency and the school
school-based health center.
(3) Have a mechanism, described in writing, to coordinate services to individual students among school school-based and school health center staff while maintaining confidentiality and privacy of health information consistent with applicable state and federal laws.
(4) Have a written description of how the school school-based health center will participate in the following:
(A) School and districtwide health promotion, coordinated school school-based health, health education in the classroom or on campus, program/activities that address nutrition, fitness, or other important public health issues, or promotion of policies that create a healthy school environment.
(B) Outreach and enrollment of students in health insurance programs.
(C) Public health prevention, surveillance, and emergency response for the school population.
(5) Have the ability to provide the linguistic or cultural services needed by the community. If the school health center is not yet able to provide these services
due to resource limitations, the school health center shall engage in an ongoing assessment of its capacity to provide these services.
(6) Have a plan for maximizing available third-party reimbursement revenue streams.
(d) Sustainability Commencing on or before January 1, 2026, expansion grants shall be available in amounts between twenty-five thousand dollars ($25,000) and
one hundred twenty-five thousand dollars ($125,000) per year one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) and three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000), inclusive, for up to a three-year period for the purpose of operating a school renovating and improving an existing school-based health center, or enhancing programming at a fully operational school health center, including oral health or mental health services.
adding physical health, oral health, or behavioral health services, or supporting operations at a fully operational school-based health center. Preference will be given to proposals that increase access to comprehensive health care services at the school-based health center by adding staff or service or expanding the facility. Applicants for sustainability expansion grants offered pursuant to this subdivision shall be required to meet all of the criteria described in subdivision (c), in addition to both all of the following criteria:
(1) The applicant shall be eligible to become or already be an approved Medi-Cal provider.
(2) The applicant shall have ability and procedures in place for billing public insurance programs and managed care providers. programs, managed care health plans, or county mental health plans.
(3) The applicant shall seek reimbursement and have
procedures in place for billing public and private insurance that covers students at the school health center. develop a plan to sustain expanded services at the school-based health center after the grant period.
(e) Commencing on or before January 1, 2026, sustainability grants shall be available in amounts between one hundred fifty thousand dollars ($150,000) and three hundred thousand dollars ($300,000), inclusive, per year ongoing for the purpose of operating a school health center. Applicants for sustainability grants offered pursuant to this subdivision shall be required to meet all of the following criteria described in subdivision (c), in addition to all of the following criteria:
(e)The department shall award technical assistance grants through a competitive bidding process to qualified contractors to support grantees receiving grants under subdivisions (b), (c), and (d). A qualified contractor means a vendor with demonstrated capacity in all aspects of planning, facilities development, startup, and operation of a school health center.
(1) The applicant shall be eligible to become or already be an approved Medi-Cal provider.
(2) The applicant shall have ability and procedures in place for billing public insurance programs, managed care health plans, or county mental health plans.
(3) The applicant shall seek reimbursement and have procedures in place for billing public and private insurance that covers students at the school health center.
(f) The department shall award technical assistance grants through a competitive bidding process to qualified contractors to support grantees receiving grants under subdivisions (b), (c), (d), and (e). A “qualified contractor” means a vendor with demonstrated capacity in all aspects of planning, facilities, development, startup, and operation of a
school-based health center.
(f)
(g) The department, in collaboration with the Office of School-Based Health Programs in the State Department of Education, shall also develop a request for proposal (RFP) process for collecting information on applicants, and determining which proposals shall receive grant funding. The department shall give preference for grant funding to school-based health centers serving any of the following:
(1) Areas designated as federally medically underserved areas or with medically underserved populations or areas with a shortage of health professionals.
(2) Areas experiencing health disparities in child and adolescent access to primary care, behavioral health, preventative preventive health, or oral health services.
(3) Schools in which more than 55 percent of pupils serviced are unduplicated pupils, as defined in Section 42238.02 of the Education Code.
(g)
(h) Moneys shall be allocated to the department
annually for evaluation to be conducted by an outside evaluator that is selected through a competitive bidding process. The evaluation shall document the number of grantees that establish and sustain school school-based health centers, and describe the challenges and lessons learned in creating successful school
school-based health centers. The evaluator shall use data collected pursuant to Section 124174.3, if it is available, and work in collaboration with the Public School
School-Based Health Center Support Program. The department shall post the evaluation on its internet website.
(h)
(i) This section shall be implemented only to the extent that funds are appropriated to the department in the annual Budget Act or other statute for implementation of this article.