HF 3165 Summary

• Establishes a new statute (144.595) creating grants and support for comprehensive school-based health centers that provide medical, preventive, and behavioral health services to all students regardless of ability to pay, insurance coverage, or immigration status.

• Requires the Commissioner of Health to contract with the Minnesota School-Based Health Alliance (a 501(c)(4) organization) to sustain the network of school-based health centers and coordinate with Departments of Health, Education, and Human Services on education, growth, and sustainability initiatives.

• Creates a grants program administered by the Commissioner or the Minnesota School-Based Health Alliance to provide funding to sponsoring organizations (health care providers, hospitals, community clinics, federally qualified health centers, nonprofits, higher education institutions, or local health departments) that operate school-based health centers in partnership with schools or districts.

• Specifies that school-based health centers may provide preventive care, chronic disease management, mental health services, acute care, oral health, vision care, nutritional counseling, substance abuse counseling, and emerging services like telehealth.

• Appropriates $1,400,000 in fiscal year 2024 from the general fund: $500,000 for the Minnesota School-Based Health Alliance contract and $900,000 for grants to sponsoring organizations.