2602

LAWS OF MARYLAND

Ch. 754

Annotated Code of Maryland

(1978 Replacement Volume and 1979 Supplement)

BY adding to

Article 41 - Governor - Executive and

Administrative Departments
Section 486(b)(17)
Annotated Code of Maryland
(1978 Replacement Volume and 1979 Supplement)

Preamble

The General Assembly finds that there is a need for
expanded school health services in this State. In order to
demonstrate this need, a 2-year school health pilot program
has been established in two areas of this State, one urban
and the other rural. The two targeted school-age groups are
similar in their need for health services, although the
reasons that they are currently underserved are different.

The urban area is Baltimore City. The Baltimore City
Public School System, 6th largest in the United States,
serves approximately 159,000 students in 207 schools.
School health services are administered by the Baltimore
City Health Department in cooperation with the Baltimore
City Department of Education. The services provided to the
schools by the Baltimore City Health Department consist of
vision and hearing screening, immunization, and limited
community health nursing and physician services. Over the
past few years, the overall number of Community Health
Nurses has declined, with a concurrent decrease in the
number of nurses available for school health services.

The school health resources of the Baltimore City
Health Department are currently directed to the elementary
grades, with an emphasis on early identification of school
health problems, and management of the multihandicapped
child in the school setting.

The health needs of the adolescent school-age
population are not being met with the present School Health
Program. Such problems as teenage pregnancy, teenage
alcoholism, drug abuse, and mental illness are not being
adequately addressed by the School Health Program. In
addition, it has been shown that adolescents do not utilize
existing health services effectively. Demographic data for
the selected area in Baltimore City shows that this area has
higher rates for infant death, neonatal death, births to
unwed mothers under 17, and premature births when compared
with citywide data.

The Department of Health and Welfare has designated the
rural area selected, Caroline County, as a Critical Health
Manpower Shortage Area. There are presently no
pediatricians within the county. Efforts to recruit