Eight school nurses from Maine were among the more than 1,300 school nurses from around the country that met in Philadelphia last month at the National Association of School Nurses Annual Conference, aimed at improving the health of school-age children.
Topics included new ways to track attendance for students with chronic health conditions and methods school nurses can use to support students and families to improve school attendance. More information is available at https://www.nasn.org/Research/StepUpBeCounted.
The Free Care Rule discussion expanding the health services that may be billable for school-age children was part of several presentations with national resources made available to states as each moves forward. This could impact school health services funding in the future and you can learn more at www.medicaidforeducation.org.
Other topics included suicide prevention, developing guidelines for anaphylaxis (severe allergy), and improving health outcomes for students through the TEAMS project. Building a Culture of Health and the Role of the School Nurse is collaboration between the American Academy of Pediatricians and the Robert Wood Johnson Foundation. The AAP/RWJF has resources available at www.campaignforaction.org for school nurses to access.
For more information on how school nurses can sign up for the next conference, contact Maine DOE’s School Nurse Consultant Nancy Dube at nancy.dube@maine.gov or 624-6688.