September 02, 2026
A student who walks into a Denver Health school-based health center for a medical visit may need more than a checkup.
In the past, if a provider identified a behavioral health concern, the student might have gone home with a referral, then waited days to be contacted and potentially another week for an appointment.
Denver Health is changing that.
With support from The Anschutz Foundation, behavioral health services providers at Denver Health’s 19 school-based health centers (SBHCs) are working to make behavioral health support easier to access and to reach more students with timely, coordinated care.
“It's whole-person, integrated care, often in the same day,” said Danielle Vice, director of Integrated Behavioral Health Services for SBHCs.
Help without the wait
The biggest difference for students is access. If a medical provider identifies a behavioral health concern, the student could see a behavioral health provider right away rather than leaving with a referral. Dental providers, health educators and Denver Public Schools mental health teams can also connect students with care in the moment.
The goal is to reach students earlier, before behavioral health concerns become more severe.
The expanded model can also help students cope with chronic medical conditions such as asthma, diabetes and chronic pain, another new piece of the integrated approach. Care can range from a one-time visit to ongoing treatment, depending on what the student needs.
Meeting students where they are
Denver Health’s 19 school-based health centers provide medical, mental health, psychiatry, dental and health education visits. Care is provided at no charge to all Denver Public Schools students and their siblings.
Vice said the centers had historically provided behavioral healthcare to only about 3% of the DPS student population, leaving room to reach many more.
Sonja O’Leary, MD, chair of Pediatrics at Denver Health, said that having care inside schools is essential for their well-being.
“For many students, school is the only place they can access behavioral health care due to barriers like transportation, mental health stigmas and lack of insurance or high deductibles,” O’Leary said.
Denver Health also continues to offer substance use services and its Therapeutic Response and Urgent Stabilization Team, a mobile team serving students with the most acute safety needs.
Vice said the expansion gives Denver Health’s behavioral health providers more opportunities to address student concerns earlier and help students get the right support at the right time.
