These are the activities and strategies that the California School-Based Health Alliance (CSHA) actively leads to advance school-based health care in California.

• Goal 1: Advocate for state funding to start, improve, and expand new school-based health centers and wellness centers (SBHCs/WCs).
• Goal 2: Ensure students’ access to physical, mental, sexual + reproductive health by protecting access to medically accurate, confidential, culturally relevant, and age-appropriate health services in schools.
• Goal 3: Champion school environments that support whole child well-being so students can thrive.

Advocacy Platform

As part of its advocacy mission, the California School-Based Health Alliance (CSHA) often takes public positions on bills, ballot initiatives, and public policy issues that other organizations are sponsoring. 

Recognizing that improving the health and academic success of children and youth is impacted by many factors, systems, and policies and to further the mission of advancing health services in schools, CSHA supports legislation and policies that:

• Increase access and resources for school-based health and wellness services, including but not limited to school-based and school-linked health centers, wellness centers, schoolwide screenings, behavioral health services, and dental and vision services.
• Ensure students have access to healthy school environments including but not limited to policies advancing healthy food, health education, physical activity, school climate, school staff wellness, whole child/whole youth approaches, and safe facilities.
• Transform a health care delivery system in a direction that allows for multiple access points, integrated care, broader preventive care, reduced disparities, and improved outcomes for children and youth.
• Promote expanded opportunities for youth advocacy, leadership, and engagement within education and healthcare settings.
• Increase state revenue for children’s health and education.
• Preserve and expand access to health care coverage for children and families.
• Create welcoming healthcare and educational environments for immigrant children and families.
• Increase access to and reduce restrictions on youth access to sexual and reproductive health services.
• Disrupt the school-to-prison pipeline by reducing punitive school discipline policies, maximizing access to restorative, trauma-informed approaches, minimizing school “push out” and eliminating police in schools.
• Create equitable health, human service, and education programs for youth in the foster care and juvenile justice systems, youth experiencing homelessness, unaccompanied minors, LGBTQ+ youth, trafficked youth, and youth of color.
• Increase approved vaccinations among students, staff, and school-based health providers to ensure our communities are protected against preventable diseases, especially for those students and families most vulnerable. This includes COVID vaccine mandates for eligible student and adult populations in addition to increased immunization requirements for school enrollment.