Comprehensive Electronic Health Record Pilot Grant Program Request for Applications (RFA #202305111)

The Maine Department of Education (DOE) is accepting applications from school administrative units (SAUs), publicly supported secondary schools, and Education in the Unorganized Territory (EUT) who meet eligibility requirements stated in RFA# 202 305111. Using American Rescue Plan, state reservation funds, the Maine Department of Education (DOE) will cover costs of implementing a comprehensive electronic health record (EHR) system of up to $6000, which includes a nominal stipend for a school-designated EHR champion. This widespread pilot aims to show that maintaining an electronic health record is beneficial to both local schools and the State of Maine as it will increase the efficiency of services provided, decrease the burden of reporting health data, allow for data-informed decisions and policy, and increase revenue possibilities with MaineCare.

Eligible schools that are interested in the Comprehensive Electronic Health Record Pilot Grant Program opportunity may access the application through the Grant RFPs and RFAs webpage.

A timeline for the application process is provided below.

May 24, 2023 – Request for Applications (RFA) Released
June 15, 2023 – RFA Question submission deadline
July 12, 2023 – RFA Submission deadline

All questions about the Comprehensive Electronic Health Record Pilot RFA should be submitted to the Grant Coordinator: Emily Poland, Office of School and Student Supports, at Emily.Poland@Maine.gov.

Additional School Nurses Complete National Certification

Six more nurses have joined the original 30 school nurses who completed the National Certification in School Nursing this school year.

As part of the Maine Department of Education’s (DOE) efforts to provide opportunities to the current workforce of school nurses to build upon their expertise and to promote evidence-based practice in all Maine schools, the Maine DOE hosted a National Certification in School Nursing (NCSN) Review Course created by Nurse Builders this past fall.

Maine school nurses participated in the course that was delivered online synchronously by Dr. Janice Selekman, DNSc, RN, NCSN, FNASN. As of May 2023, 36 school nurses have now taken the course and passed the exam to become fully certified. These school nurses can now use the NCSN credentials, a nationally accredited credential that validates specialized knowledge and expertise, as a school nurse.

The National Association of School Nurses endorses national certification of school nurses through the National Board for Certification of School Nurses (NBCSN). School nursing is a subspecialty of public health nursing, incorporated into the baccalaureate nursing programs’ curriculum. Baccalaureate nursing education develops leadership, critical thinking, quality improvement, and systems thinking competencies attained through a minimum of a baccalaureate degree in nursing and validated by specialized certification in school nursing (IOM, 2011).

Congratulations to the following Maine School Nurses who completed the NCSN certification!

Sarah DeCato, Maine DOE
Jaime Gregory, RSU 13
Heidi Hinckley, MSAD 11
Karen Jenkins, Cape Elizabeth Schools
Rachel Prostasewich, RSU 21
Erin Taylor, Cape Elizabeth Schools

Here is a listing of the first 30 school nurses to complete the certification:

Jean Barbour, Falmouth Schools
Melissa Bishop, Mount Desert Island Regional School System
Brenda Bladen, Kittery School Department
Jennifer Bowdish, Brunswick School Department
Nell Bridger, Portland Public Schools
Angie Buker, MSAD 46
April Chapman, Blue Hill Consolidated School
Michele Cooney, RSU 40
Jean Cote, Waterville Public Schools
Candace Crocker, AOS 98
Sarah DeWitt, Winslow Public Schools
Heather Emerson, RSU 40
Jody Gray, RSU 4
Crystal Greaves, MSAD 46
Emily Guyer, RSU 5
Lori Huot, Maine DOE
Brittany Layman, RSU 22
Melanie Lord, Yamouth Schools
Monique Michaud, MSAD 27
Shirah O’Connell, Portland Public Schools
Tara Oxley, Erskine Academy
Alyssa Rainey, Waterville Public Schools
Cathryn Sherman, Brewer School Department
Elizabeth Spaulding, Portland Public Schools
Janneke Strickland, RSU 9
Melissa Tringali, Gorham Schools
Sherri Vail, RSU 40
Rosemary Wiser, MSAD 44
Jessi Woodman, MSAD 6

For additional information about this opportunity, reach out to Emily Poland, Maine DOE School Nurse Consultant at emily.poland@maine.gov.

Upcoming Suicide Prevention Trainings from NAMI Maine

NAMI Maine (National Alliance on Mental Illness) is offering several suicide prevention training opportunities scheduled over the course of the next month that are available to school staff.

Friday, May 19th (Bangor) – Training of the Trainer (TOT) in Suicide Prevention
Thursday, June 1st (Portland) – Training of the Trainer (TOT) in Suicide Prevention
Friday, June 2nd (Portland) – Assessment and Management Training
Tuesday, June 20th (Virtual) – Virtual Protocol Development Training

If you need any more information regarding any of these training opportunities, please contact Julianne McLaughlin, NAMI Coordinator of Suicide Prevention Programs at mspp@namimaine.org

For more training opportunities with NAMI Maine visit their website: https://www.namimaine.org/events.

For further information and assistance about health education and training in schools, reach out to Maine DOE Health Education & Health Promotion Consultant Susan Berry at susan.berry@maine.gov.

School Nurses Across the State Receive Workforce Professional Development

The Coordinated School Health Team of the Office of School and Student Supports at the Maine Department of Education is proud to report that as part of the funding from the US Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) for COVID-19 Emergency Response, Public Health Crisis Response, Maine Department of Health and Human Services, 103 school nurses from across the State of Maine have received certification in emergency procedures to help strengthen the quality of health services within schools.

Training courses were held in Caribou, Bangor, Waterville, Lewiston, and Portland. The training focused on recognition, assessment, and acuity of injuries and/or illness. By developing the current school nurse workforce, we can improve health equity in care across the state. This supports the CDC Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child model, allowing students to reach their highest potential.

A school nurse who attended one of the trainings recently, remarked, “I will have been an RN for 50 years next year (many years as a flight nurse and NICU, PICU, and ICU/CCU nurse) and this “old” person learned several new things yesterday!”

Reminder – 2023 Spring Wellness Workshops offered by StrengthenME

Are you feeling burnt out and/or looking for support? StrengthenME, Maine Department of Education Schoolsite Wellness, and Workforce EAP have partnered to provide educators and school staff with free wellness workshops and confidential coaching sessions.

Join 30-minute Wellness Workshops – Offered every other Thursday at either 7:15 am or 3:15 pm, March 16 – May 11. All are welcome anytime. You can join all presentations or as many as possible, or just one that caught your attention. Remaining sessions include?