Healthy Schools Campaign

10/08/2026

Many thanks to our Change for Good sponsors who support our advocacy for children, public schools and families!

10/08/2026

Many thanks to our Change for Good Silver Sponsors!

10/08/2026

Join us TODAY for The Power of Public Schools: The Hidden Healthcare System Behind Student Success!

Keynote speaker Dr. Mike Underwood, Acting Director of the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention's (CDC) Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH), will be joining our 2026 Change for Good forum to discuss recent data on student well-being and talk about the vital mental, behavioral and physical healthcare that schools provide.

Join us and support healthy students and public schools! Register here: https://healthyschoolscampaign.org/events/cfg-2026-healthcare/

09/23/2026

How can states protect student access to health care and support school district budgets?

HSC partnered with Cornell Medical School, The School Superintendents Association and the University of Chicago on a new JAMA Health Forum brief published today that offers specific strategies states and districts can adopt to maximize school Medicaid reimbursement opportunities and protect student health services.

Learn more about our analysis and what we recommend for the future of school health services: https://jamanetwork.com/journals/jama-health-forum/fullarticle/2853926

09/22/2026

This year, HSC’s Change for Good series will include three dynamic virtual events that demonstrate the power of public schools, and showcase how effective advocacy and partnerships can lead to positive, measurable change that supports students, schools and families.

Oct. 8: The Power of Public Schools: The Hidden Healthcare System Behind Student Success

Oct. 22: The Power of Public Schools: The Transformative Impact of School Food

Date TBA: The Power of Public Schools: Anchors for Sustainability

Join us! Register today: https://healthyschoolscampaign.org/change-for-good-2026/

08/27/2026

HSC's August newsletter shares our newest resources, policy and program updates and invites YOU to be a change for good!

Check it out now to register for our upcoming 2026 Change for Good events that highlight the power of public schools and provide a key opportunity for you to dig in and learn more about our work: https://mailchi.mp/healthyschoolscampaign.org/may-2026-newsletter-7230411

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08/26/2026

🏫🎒✏️ It’s back to school season for Chicago Public Schools - we’re wishing CPS students, families and staff a great first week back and a wonderful year ahead!

While school was out, hardworking design and construction teams were busy transforming four new Space to Grow schoolyards. Soon, these school community-designed spaces will feature new recreation and sports areas, outdoor classrooms, play equipment, edible gardens, rain and native gardens and more green space for students and community members.

Check out these incredible construction progress aerial photos from our partners at Metropolitan Water Reclamation District of Greater Chicago (MWRD)! Schools shown are George Washington High School and Jane Addams Elementary School in East Side, Earhart Elementary School in Calumet Heights and Moos Elementary School in Humboldt Park. We can’t wait to share the finished schoolyards. Stay tuned for the big reveals.

ICYMI - Learn more about the design process and see renderings for each schoolyard here: https://healthyschoolscampaign.org/blog/a-look-inside-chicagos-next-four-space-to-grow-schoolyards/

STG Partners: Openlands, Chicago Public Schools, Chicago Department of Water Management, Chicago Department of Environment and MWRD

08/19/2026

In June 2022, the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act (BSCA) was signed into law, marking a historic investment in school-based healthcare through provisions designed to increase Medicaid funding.

Today, we are excited to release a new report — the first assessment of its kind — that examines the key trends, challenges and innovations that have emerged since the BSCA required the Centers for Medicare and Medicaid Services (CMS) to update school Medicaid guidance, launch a school-based technical assistance center and release $50 million in state grants to encourage implementing, expanding or enhancing school Medicaid programs.

Check it out to learn more about the significant progress states are documenting today in expanding their school Medicaid program and securing additional federal reimbursement to strengthen school health services and increase student access to healthcare.

The report also offers recommendations for states and school districts to continue advancing their work and connects these recommendations to current policy issues and opportunities, enabling them to build on their successes: https://healthystudentspromisingfutures.org/resources/how-the-bsca-helped-expand-school-medicaid-and-student-health-services/

07/16/2026

The Illinois State Board of Education (ISBE) recently hired its first-ever school Medicaid consultant to help school districts leverage Medicaid as a sustainable funding source for student health services. Billing Medicaid for services provided in schools can be administratively complex — this is a big step forward for increased support that Illinois districts need to take full advantage of school Medicaid and increase access to more essential services for more students!

HSC recently interviewed Kim Silvey on this new position with ISBE, discussing her new role, priorities and why district participation in school Medicaid expansion is so important. Check out the new Q&A on our blog to learn more:
https://healthyschoolscampaign.org/blog/kim-silvey-principal-consultant-on-school-medicaid/

07/06/2026

At HSC, we talk a lot about how expanding school Medicaid means real money to states and school districts.

And it makes a lot of sense: If there are more health services covered in a state Medicaid plan through school Medicaid expansion ➡️ then schools have more opportunities to draw down federal funding as reimbursement for delivering those services to students. And same for providers: more health providers covered in a state plan ➡️ the more federal dollars school districts can receive for the time school-employed health providers spend providing services to students.

To date, more than two dozen states have taken steps to make their school Medicaid program more comprehensive, with many who have expanded their program experiencing significant increases in federal funding as a result.

Our new financial impact brief, updated for 2026, covers the funding boost in seven states: Colorado, Georgia, Illinois, Louisiana, Michigan, New Mexico and North Carolina.

Because there is no standardized financial reporting system for covered health services provided to Medicaid-enrolled students, regardless of whether they have an individualized education program (IEP), Healthy Schools Campaign has gathered and presented state-reported data for the past four years.

Check out our new 2026 report and explore all our financial impact data on school Medicaid expansion on our Healthy Students, Promising Futures website:

Financial Impact of Comprehensive School Medicaid Programs – 2026 June 18, 2026 The brief provides an update on the increase in federal funding that seven states have received since implementing a more comprehensive school Medicaid program. Read More Download Financial Impact of Comprehensive Scho...