Healthy Environments + Healthy Children = Success - How School Nurses Help

the Cause

Shirley Schantz, EdD, ARNP, RN

Director of Nursing Educationsschantz@nasn.org

I disclose the absence of personal financial relationships with commercial interests relevant to this educational activity within the past 12 months.

Mission: Advance School Nursing Practice to keep students healthy, safe and ready to learn.

Values:Child Well-being  DiversityEthics ExcellenceInnovation IntegrityLeadership Scholarship

Every child deserves a school nurse all day, every

day

Providing Member Services Over 16,000 members – and growing! Evidence Based Professional Development

• Annual Conference• Live Educational Programs• Online Continuing Education

Publications• Journal of School Nursing• NASN School Nurse• Books – Clinical, Practice & Inspirational

NASN Media ReachNASN Radio

Position Papers and Reports Press Releases

RSS Feeds on NASN.org

www.nasn.org

NASN's 46th Annual Conference June 28 – July 1, 2014 San Antonio, TX

School Nurse Role – Care Coordination

Chronic Disease Care• Asthma, Life-Threatening Allergies• Diabetes• Obesity Related Diseases

First Aid and Injury Care /Disaster Preparedness Communicable Disease Care and Control Preventive Services

• Immunizations• Health Screenings

Vision/Hearing

School nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well-being, academic success and

lifelong achievement and health of students.

98% (50 million) children spend their days in school75.1% of schools have a school nurse

School Nurse Role

1. Respond to individual student needs - Identify resources/tools and referrals for children and parents/guardians

1. On a population level

1. Provide education and resources/promote a culture of health in schools

2. Promote / advocate for healthy lifestyles for all students

3. Promote policies that increase access to healthful foods and daily physical activity

School nurses reach a large number of diverse youth

The Case For School Nursing

http://www.nasn.org/PolicyAdvocacy

Supporting Education, Advancing Student Health

"School nurses play a vital role in making sure children are healthy and ready to learn." ~ Arne Duncan, Secretary, U.S. Department of Education

Asthma Online Tool Kit - provides resources for school nurses caring for students with asthma at school http://www.nasn.org/ToolsResources/Asthma

Managing Asthma Triggers - Managing Asthma Triggers promotes the school nurse role in promoting a healthy learning environment.

Online continuing education Live program

Position Statement - Environmental Health in the School Setting:  The Role of the School Nurse http://www.nasn.org/Portals/0/positions/2014psenvironmental.pdf

NASN Asthma Resources

This program discusses the school nurse role in promoting a healthy learning environment through improving Indoor Air Quality and increasing awareness of potential asthma triggers within the school environment to reduce asthma episodes (Online and live)

Modules that discuss asthma triggers information for: administration parents students other school staff resources [EPA Tools for Schools]

Managing Asthma Triggers (MAT)

Action Learning--MAT Training connects The Frameworks forEffective School IAQ Management and The System for DeliveringAsthma Care

http://www.nasn.org/Portals/0/education/flyermat.pdf

• Over 1200 nurses trained in Years 1-3• Over 5900 school nurses trained in 10 years

• 75% nurses applied some part of the MAT III curriculum after training Nurses reported increased involvement in a

number of areas, with the most frequent being implementing and enforcing existing policies.

Performing a needs assessment to determine policy scope

Managing Asthma Triggers III Survey of MAT participants

• 56% stated they had educated staff and students

• 60% of schools took some kind of action to improve IAQ post-MATIII training.

• Other areas included the health office, food service, and pest management

Managing Asthma Triggers III Survey of MAT participants

Real Life Stories After MAT training there were fewer asthma

episodes. It went from 27% with 1-2 episodes a month to 40%.

Telling Your Story: It’s what advocacy is all about.

• Changing maintenance procedures, such as not mowing while students are at recess

• Implementing no idle rules for school drop off and pick up

• Removing artificial air fresheners

• Conducting walkthroughs and identifying facilities improvements, such as removal of moldy carpet and leaking roofs

• After the training for teachers and staff and a walk through evaluation, we determined that we needed a new cleaning staff and major repairs were made - removing moldy carpet, etc.

School Nurse first person stories

“We have been able to instruct school staff on importance of disinfecting with wipes instead of spraying Lysol while students are in school. We have also stressed use of a weak, 1:10 bleach product solution - we were able to stress that bleach product did not have to be stronger to be effective.”

“Revising cleaning processes such as proper ratios of bleach product to water, abandoning use of aerosols.”

School Nurse first person stories

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“[I] had a student who started with asthma episodes at school daily when she would go up the stairs to her classroom. After this class I further investigated upstairs and found air fresheners in the hall wry she had to pass. Once removed and after the weekend she did not have asthma episode.”

School Nurse first person stories

• Removing artificial air fresheners

• Conducting walkthroughs and identifying facilities improvements, such as removal of moldy carpet and leaking roofs

School Nurse first person stories

Knowledge of Best Practices

• “We had perfumed bathroom deodorizers in all the bathrooms. Because of one very sensitive staff member the scents and sprays were removed from the bathroom they used. All of the student bathrooms had all scents removed. Everyone is healthier.”

School Nurse first person stories

• Asthma Community Network.org: www.acn.org

• IAQ Tools for Schools Guidance:

www.epa.gov/iaq/schools

• IAQ Tools for Schools Connector E-Newsletters and

Emails: IAQTfSConnector@cadmusgroup.com

• IAQ Tools for Schools Webinar Resources

www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/webconferences.htm

National EPA Resources

http://www.epa.gov/iaq/schools/shields.html

http://www.asthmacommunitynetwork.org/

Every parent, student and teacher deserves a

School Nurse