Salt Lake City students can now see doctors, psychologists at West High — Utah’s first high school-based clinic

Students were already gathered outside West High School’s new medical clinic by about 8 a.m. on its first day of business last month.

Some looked to get a physical ahead of their upcoming soccer tryouts later that day. One asked for mental health support, which they hoped would help with their grades.

The clinic wasn’t fully stocked or equipped ahead of that soft opening, but as of its official ribbon cutting Wednesday afternoon, it had already served 100 students, clinic medical director Dr. Christina Thuet said.

It’s the first high school-based clinic in the state, she said.

Who can come to the clinic

The new clinic is available to all high schoolers within the Salt Lake City School District, as long as they have parental consent — including middle schoolers at West High’s magnet program.

Students at other district high schools can be dropped off at West High or get a ride to the clinic through interschool busing, according to a news release.

The clinic is run in partnership with the University of Utah and offers primary care services including immunizations, preventative care and care for chronic health conditions.

Students can also access behavioral health services at the clinic, including mental health screenings, group counseling, individual counseling and psychiatric evaluations.

The mental health services are especially important, Thuet said. Suicide is the leading cause of death for kids in Utah, which has the 14th-highest suicide rate in the country, she said.

She noted that last year’s statewide Student Health and Risk Prevention survey found that 8% of students surveyed in Salt Lake County — or one in 12 — had attempted suicide one or more times.

The clinic’s model, Thuet said, “facilitates collaborative care,” allowing primary care providers to sit next to psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists and addiction specialists in the clinic.

“We understand that a healthy body and mind are foundational to academic achievement and personal growth,” Thuet said.

What insurances are accepted

The clinic itself has four exam rooms that will be used for both physical and mental health needs.

According to the clinic’s website, it will accept most insurances, including Medicaid and CHIP. University of Utah Health may also offer discounts and financial assistance to those who are uninsured.

Dr. Angelo Giardino, the U.’s chair of pediatrics at the School of Medicine, said school-based health clinics have not only been shown to improve graduation rates and decrease out-of-class time, but also decrease emergency room visits.

He added that students who have access to mental health care resources inside a school are 21 times more likely to utilize those services.

“All these students here all have a lot of potential for greatness,” said West High student body president Derek Willhelm. “But lot of that comes down to the resources they have to set them up for that success.”

‘Where it is needed’

The Salt Lake City School District operates three community learning centers that have health clinics inside, as well as a vision clinic at Parkview Elementary.

But Superintendent Elizabeth Grant said Wednesday that the new West High clinic marks “the first time we have put health in the middle of our high schools.”

“This is where it is needed,” Grant said. “We have just reduced the barriers of transportation and time and cost by bringing health to students here at West High School.”

Grant thanked the clinic’s supporters and sponsors Wednesday, including the Legislature, the Larry H. and Gail Miller Family Foundation and the Salt Lake Education Foundation, calling education a “community affair.”

Salt Lake Education Foundation director James Yapias said the West High clinic not only represents a physical space, but a “collective commitment to address the holistic health needs of our students.”

“It will serve us as a beacon of hope, healing and support for generations of students to come,” he said.