'Small miracle': 1st clinic of its kind opens for students at West High School

SALT LAKE CITY — It's no secret the Beehive State is in the midst of a youth mental health crisis.

Utah Department of Health and Human Services 2022 data shows suicide was the leading cause of death for Utahns ages 10 to 24.

The 2023 Student Health and Risk Prevention survey revealed that 17.6% of teens seriously considered attempting suicide. The same survey found 8% of Salt Lake County middle and high school students attempted suicide in 2023.

"Yet, we only have six child psychiatrists for every 100,000 children in Utah who need mental health services," said Dr. Christina Thuet, a pediatrician with University of Utah Health.

With these troubling trends in mind, leaders at University of Utah Health, the Salt Lake City School District and the Salt Lake Education Foundation on Wednesday cut the ribbon of the newly opened West High School Clinic.

The first of its kind in the state, the on-campus clinic offers a full range of adolescent physical and mental health services to students at the school.

Thuet, who serves as the clinic's director, said the contingent consulted with academic health care facilities around the country that have partnerships with their local school districts, to identify best practices and areas for improvement with the West High School Clinic in mind.

"This led to our unique, integrated care model that facilitates collaborative care through primary care providers sitting right next to psychologists, counselors, psychiatrists and addiction specialists," Thuet said. "We believe that this model allows our clinic to go beyond just treating illness by promoting preventive care, mental health awareness and overall wellness."

The clinic is staffed by U. Health pediatricians, psychiatrists and psychologists, with anywhere from 10 to 15 professionals on-site at any given time.

Although Wednesday's ribbon cutting could be seen as an official opening of the clinic, it also marked its 15th day of operation. A half-hour before the ribbon was cut, the clinic saw its 100th patient.

"All these students here have a lot of potential for greatness. But a lot of that comes down to the resources they have that set them up for that success," said Derek Willhelm, president of the Associated Students of West High School. "I would argue that everyone's greatest resource is their own health."

Willhelm said half of West High's students qualify for free and reduced lunch, further reinforcing how difficult it can be for students to access adequate mental and physical health services.

All West High students will have access to the clinic with a valid consent form; because it's housed at the school, students have access during school hours, meaning they miss less school and parents and caregivers don't have to take time off from work to help students get to and from doctor appointments.

"Words could not do justice to the Herculean effort behind this incredible achievement," Senate Minority Leader Luz Escamilla, D-Salt Lake City, said Wednesday. "To me, it's a small miracle. I couldn't think of another place where we bring the very first clinic inside a high school in the state of Utah."

Along with the obvious benefit of addressing students' health care needs — young people enrolled in school-based health centers are 21 times more likely to access mental health services and less likely to report suicidal ideation, suicide attempts and depressive episodes — the centers also lead to better educational outcomes for students.

According to U. Health, schools with school-based health centers demonstrate a 4.1% increase in overall graduation rates and a whopping 33% reduction in dropout rates.

"This is the first time we have put health in the middle of our high schools," District Superintendent Elizabeth Grant said. "This is where it is needed. Kids need access to health care (and) we have just reduced the barriers of transportation and time and cost by bringing health to students at West High School. This is an early intervention that will serve our students for years."

As the Salt Lake City School District and West High School have laid the groundwork and set a precedent for school-based clinics, other districts are looking to follow suit.

Jodi Lunt, executive director of the Davis Education Foundation, was on hand to tour the clinic and told KSL.com that she is looking to lead the charge in bringing clinics to schools in the Davis School District.

The clinic was made possible through support from the Ray and Tye Noorda Foundation, The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, Salt Lake Education Foundation and U. Health.

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