School-Based Health: Providing Care at No Cost to Kids for Over 30 Years and Counting

Every fall, when children return to the classroom, they are greeted by familiar faces: the teachers, aides, bus drivers, and other school staff many of them have known for years. In 18 districts across our local communities, some of familiar faces are the Bassett Healthcare Network nurse practitioners, physician assistants, social workers, and dental hygienists who work at their school's School-Based Health Center.

Bassett's School-Based Health Centers in Edmeston, Laurens, and Morris are celebrating a milestone. They were established in 1996, so for three decades now, they have been providing necessary care at no out-of-pocket cost to children and teenagers. They were called HealthZones at the time, and they would, in the years that followed, join forces with the first School-Based Health Center in our region, at Delaware Academy Central School in Delhi, which opened a few years prior, to become the foundation of Bassett's School-Based Health program as it exists today.

Memories gathered from the over the years show the history of Bassett Healthcare Network's School-Based Health Centers.

"When I worked to establish the School-Based Health Program in Delhi in 1992, I couldn't have imagined how much the program would be championed by the community and how much it would grow. Back then, we operated out of a small area near the nurse's office. Now, we have a beautiful space, not just at Delaware Academy, but almost two dozen local schools. I am so grateful to everyone who has helped make this program such a success," said Jane Hamilton, RN, Practice Manager of Bassett's School-Based Health Program.

"From the School-Based Health Program's very beginning, its goal has been simple: to improve the overall health of all students in the districts served. We accomplish that through hard work, a solutions-oriented mindset, and collaboration with so many people at the schools, at Bassett, and in government. What started in just a handful of local districts has now grown into a program rivaled in our state only by the School-Based Health program in New York City," said Chris Kjolhede, MD, Pediatrician and Former Co-Director of Bassett's School-Based Health Program.

Today, Bassett's School-Based Health Program is 22 centers strong, with its 23rd center on track to open in 2027 at Unatego Central School in Otego. The program exists to transcend common barriers to healthcare that families in rural areas may face, like lack of insurance, limited transportation options, poverty, and other socioeconomic factors (approximately 50% of the students enrolled in School-Based Health are insured through Medicaid). Enrolled students have access to primary care services, mental health services, and preventative and restorative dental care right in their school building, without having to take any time off from school and risk falling behind in their learning. Parents also do not have to take time off work to transport their children to appointments and they do not have to worry about any costs beyond what their child's insurance covers.

Bassett School-Based Health caregivers gathered for an annual conference in September 2026.

"We strive to provide a full complement of healthcare services at each of our School-Based Health Centers. Most students have all of their primary care needs met on their school's campus, unless they require care from a specialist. We provide physical exams, so athletes can easily participate in sports, vaccines, ongoing care for chronic conditions like asthma or diabetes, preventative and restorative dental services including cleanings and fluoride applications, mental health counseling, and many other critical services," said Kerri LeBlanc, MD, Pediatrician and Co-Director of Bassett's School-Based Health Program.

During the 2025-2026 school year, 82% of the total student body at the districts that have School-Based Health Centers were enrolled in the program. Out of the 39,569 visits that were completed that academic year, 57% of those visits were for medical care, 35% were for mental health care, and 8% were for dental care.

Bassett's School-Based Health Program relies on the generosity of Friends of Bassett donors to close the gap in its funding each year.

"The practitioners at School-Based Health Centers are passionate about the care they provide to their patients. They become part of the school and community - in many cases meeting their patients on the first day of kindergarten and taking care of them until they graduate from high school. Along the way, they teach children to take charge of their health and make good wellness choices for a lifetime," said William Fredette, MD, Pediatrician and Co-Director of Bassett's School-Based Health Program.

The future of our students - and the future of School-Based Health - is bright. For some kids, the impact is small. School-Based Health might just be a place where they go for a check-up once a year to make sure they are still healthy and up to date on their shots. But for other students, the impact can be the difference between a pain or illness going untreated or that child receiving the care they deserve. It can be the difference between a student suffering in silence or that same child opening up to a trusted adult with the expertise to help.

Click here for a full list of School-Based Health locations. If your child's school has a School-Based Health Center, visit Bassett.org/SBH-Enroll to sign them up for the program.