105 ILCS 129/5

The General Assembly finds as follows: (1) Asthma and oral health problems are 2 of the leading causes of absenteeism among Illinois elementary and secondary school students. (2) Illinois youth must deal with increasing obesity, poor nutrition, substance abuse, and mental health crises. (3) Many Illinois families lack adequate health insurance or access to health care facilities. (4) Improving the physical and mental health of Illinois' youth is vital to building an educated workforce for Illinois' future. (5) School health centers provide quality health care services like immunizations, physical exams, asthma care, mental health counseling, and health in schools, and national and local evaluations have found that school health centers increase access to health care, reduce absenteeism, reduce health care access disparities, and reduce unhealthy behaviors that compromise health and education success. (6) Illinois school health centers were found to save the State an estimated $2,500,000 each year by reducing emergency room visits, $2,720,000 a year by providing immunizations, and $233,000-$342,000 a year by reducing asthma-related hospitalizations.