Implementing Universal Whole‐Person Screening in High Schools: Lessons From a School–Health System Partnership

ABSTRACT Background Most school districts lack infrastructure to systematically identify whole‐person needs and connect students to coordinated services. We developed and implemented a whole‐person screening tool within a county–school partnership model. Methods Between 2020 and 2024, Riverside University Health System—Behavioral Health partnered with a Southern California unified school district to implement the Whole Person Health Score‐Adolescent Version (WPHS‐AV) for 11,786 high school students. The partnership included universal screening, governance structures, tiered triage workflows, and school‐embedded behavioral health teams. Results The WPHS‐AV demonstrated acceptable internal consistency (Cronbach's α = 0.64–0.65). Screening identified substantial moderate‐need students (86.3% had ≥ 1 Yellow flag) likely invisible under traditional crisis‐triggered referral systems, while high‐need classifications remained relatively uncommon (19.6% had ≥ 1 Red flag). Implications for School Health Policy, Practice, and Equity Universal whole‐person screening identified 86% of high school students with moderate needs likely missed by crisis‐triggered systems. This district‐health system partnership demonstrates that systematic screening requires formal governance structures, tiered triage workflows, and school‐embedded clinical teams to connect identified students to appropriate supports. Conclusions Universal whole‐person screening at scale requires partnership infrastructure, including formal governance structures, clearly defined workflows linking assessment to intervention, and iterative problem‐solving for consent barriers and referral bottlenecks.