Module 3: Setting Up the Clinic
Overall Guidelines
Once the need has been demonstrated and all the partnerships and organizations are in place, the next step is establishing the clinic with some foundational operational elements. We recommend preparing to use these budget and financing considerations and templates below, then referencing the additional resources provided.
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Finance & Budget Considerations
Copay and Deductible Waiver Information
Youth Healthcare Alliance
Colorado law exempts school-based clinics from the requirement to collect copayments or deductibles before billing the patient's insurance. This document provides an overview and outlines some logistical and revenue considerations this raises for clinics.
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Colorado Health Foundation
A sample budget template with tabs for data input, staffing, other costs, in-kind, income statement, and instructions. New school-based clinics can use this sample budget template when developing a budget for a new school-based clinic.
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Sunrise Community Health
Enrollment and Consent Form (English and Spanish)
Summit Community Care Clinic School-Based Health Center
Registration and consent forms that enroll a student in the school-based clinic’s physical, mental, and oral health programs and telehealth service delivery.
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Minor Consent Form (English & Spanish)
MarillacHealth School-Based Health Center
Consent form for minors to complete when seeking services that fall within Colorado’s minor consent laws.
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Electronic Enrollment Considerations
Youth Healthcare Alliance
As more schools shift to online enrollment, school-based clinics have the opportunity to also enroll patients electronically. This document offers some considerations and ideas as you explore this new way of gathering patient consent.
Denver Health
Updated annually, Denver Health uses the online form for school-based clinic registration and parental consent.
Registration & Consent Forms
Facilities Considerations & Templates
Sample Equipment, Furniture, and Supply List
STRIDE Community Health Center
Document that displays equipment and supplies often needed in a school-based clinic. Estimates of costs and quantities included.
SBHC Floor Plan (4 Exam Rooms)
Aurora Public Schools
Sample floor plan that includes four exam rooms, lab, intake/office, a multipurpose room, waiting area, and bathroom. The sample floor plan includes sample furniture or supplies in for each room, along with dimensions of each room.
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SBHC Floor Plans (Various Sizes)
Denver Health
Mock-up of floor plans of various SBHC configurations. The floor plans also include a more detailed construction plan.
SBHC Floor Plans (2 Exam Rooms)
Mountain Family Health Center
Floor plan that a new program can review and use when creating a new SBHC.
The National Council for Mental Wellbeing
An introduction to trauma-informed design concepts and recommendations for your clinic.
Recruitment & Hiring
Youth Healthcare Alliance
School-based health centers are staffed in diverse ways with teams that reflect school-community needs and organizational capacity. This document may provide some insights on how to recruit more from the community to build and support a staff that better represent the patients you serve.
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Front Desk Job Description Example
Kids First Health Care
​This position may take on different titles and include a variety of responsibilities depending on the overall staffing structure of a school-based clinic. It is important that the person attending to the front desk is comfortable interacting with patients and families, familiar with the various paperwork needs for different appointment types, and able to schedule appointments and work with the school to call patients for appointments.
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Coordinator / Program Manager Job Description Example
Kids First Health Care
This position takes on different titles and may have variable roles depending on the school-based clinics operating agency. This position is typically the administrative point person for the school-based clinic(s).
Medical Assistant Job Description Examples
Sheridan Youth Health Clinic & Kids First Health Care
Medical Assistants are common members of the school-based clinic team and often asked to work to the top of their certification. As with many school-based clinic staff, they may take on additional clinic roles.
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Patient Educator Job Description Example
Kids First Health Care
This position supports the clinical staff in the clinic by providing patient education on topics such as nutrition, medication management, and healthy relationships. In some settings, this position is also responsible for providing requested presentations on health topics in school classrooms. Additionally, this position often shares information about health and the school-based clinic with youth and families at school functions ranging from lunchroom tables to sporting events.
Behavioral Health Provider Job Description Examples
Pediatric Partners of the Southwest & Kids First Health Care
Some school-based clinics contract services with a local behavioral health entity; however, increasingly clinics are able to employ their own behavioral health staff. Licensure type may vary though the most common are LPC and LCSW.
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Primary Care Provider Job Description Examples
Sunrise Community Health & Kids First Health Care
The Primary Care Provider is a foundational position for school-based clinics. This position is most often filled by a mid-level provider (NP or PA). The population the school-based clinic intends to serve as well as the scope of the operating agencies services may influence if a family practice, pediatric focus, or other specialty area is desired in this role.
Articulating the Need
Determine if starting a clinic is right for your school district and how to gain buy-in, including:
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Needs and opportunities assessments
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Factsheets and videos
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Blueprint for clinics
Planning for a Clinic
How to begin planning fundamental components necessary to open a clinic, including:
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Workplan and business models
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Organizational chart
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Partnership development and community assessments