By Dr. Margie Donlon and Luanne Peterpaul

Increasing access to healthcare is a top priority for us.

We have introduced legislation to address the shortage of school nurses by allowing nurses licensed in other states to serve as school nurses here. Our other bills include initiatives to provide incentives for people to volunteer as first responders and to allow accredited clubhouses to receive Medicaid reimbursement for mental health rehabilitation services.

We have an opportunity to increase access to healthcare in underserved communities in New Jersey, in this case our school communities.

Most recently, Assemblywoman Peterpaul has introduced legislation that would permit boards of education to lease certain unused property to Federally Qualified Health Centers (FQHCs) without bidding. To accomplish this, the bill adds FQHCs to the current law that allows local school boards to lease school buildings and property to the state, local governmental units, volunteer fire companies and rescue squads, veterans and senior citizens organizations, and certain nonprofit organizations.

FQHCs are the difference between having access to healthcare and remaining untreated for many residents who don’t have health insurance and cannot afford to see a health professional. Fees are charged based on your income level using a sliding fee scale. No one is ever turned away for lack of funds.

Unfortunately, there are misinformation campaigns spreading false information about the regulations surrounding FQHCs and their effectiveness. 

It’s time to set the record straight.

FQHCs are currently providing high quality healthcare to people regardless of their ability to pay in Red Bank, Asbury Park, Long Branch, and Freehold. 

School health centers are common throughout the state. The Toms River, Long Branch, and Brick School Districts have chosen to have health centers on school property. Locating a FQHC on school property would make it easier for students, their families, and district staff to get and keep doctors’ appointments. 

To clarify a few concerns, FQHCs on school property would be open only to the school community. They would not be open to the general public. No medical care, including mental health services, can be given to a minor under age 16 without parental consent. Additionally, no medications can be dispensed to any minor without parental consent. That’s the law now as it relates to doctors offices and all medical health services. This bill doesn’t change that.

FQHCs provide a wide range of services, including comprehensive primary and preventive healthcare, pediatric services, dental care, women’s health, lab services, HIV/AIDS counseling and testing. They provide mental and behavioral health services to people who otherwise would not have access to them. 

 FQHCs are governed by a Board of Directors with a majority of directors FQHC service users. So, they tend to do a very good job of identifying health issues specific to underserved populations, including people of color and low-income individuals, in their communities.

The FQHC model works. Federally Qualified Health Centers are in every state across the nation. The more than 330 School-Based Health Centers in New York City have been providing primary care to students in NYC schools for over 25 years. It’s been proven that School-Based Health Centers lower school absences and parents’ time away from work. They also lower the chance of an emergency room or hospital visit and can assist children with chronic illnesses if they become suddenly sick in school.

Schools are struggling to find sustainable funding for health and mental health services as demand for those services is skyrocketing. FQHCs on school property, which are satellites of existing FQHCs in the community, have access to federal funding streams that school districts typically do not, making this a sustainable funding solution for some school districts.

To be very clear- this proposed change in the law does not require a school district to lease space to an Federally Qualified Health Center. That decision rests entirely with the local board of education. 

As we continue to find ways to increase access to healthcare for all residents and to lower costs, we urge residents to not be swayed by disinformation and people who try to taint the good that FQHCs do by promoting falsehoods and fear. When we provide better access to healthcare we make our state safer, more affordable, and fairer to everyone.