| Flu information for Parents from the CDC |
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October 30, 2007—Immediate Press Release
As reported in the local and national news, cases of Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) are increasing. MRSA is a type staph infection that is resistant to commonly used antibiotics and, left untreated, can lead to life-threatening blood or bone infections. MRSA infected skin lesions (sores) often begin as minor skin irritations or sores that quickly develop into abscesses with surrounding inflammation. Symptoms may include redness, warmth at the site, swelling, skin tenderness, and drainage.
Currently, eleven students from nine Columbia County schools have confirmed cases of MRSA. Although the Center for Disease Control approves infected individuals to be in the general public as long as lesions are covered, the school system’s medical consultant has recommended that these students be excluded from school until their lesions are no longer draining and pose no threat to classmates.
In an effort to insure a safe environment for students and faculty, the following actions are taken by school staff when a MRSA case is confirmed:
1. The infected student is removed from school.
2. Desks and other items that may have come into contact with infectious drainage are immediately sanitized.
3. Notification to students and parents is made for students that may have had direct contact with the infected individual.
4. As an added precaution, coaches and athletic trainers are sanitizing athletic equipment.
To help prevent MRSA infections, good personal hygiene and frequent hand-washing are a must. Students, parents, and school staff should adhere to the following common infection control measures:
• Do not share personal care items such as soap, towels, razors, clothing;
• Shower with soap and water immediately following physical activity;
• Keep all wounds clean and covered;
• Avoid physical contact with others that have open wounds;
• Seek medical treatment if you have a sore or lesion that appears infected or does not heal; and
• Notify school officials of a confirmed MRSA infection.
As always, students and parents are encouraged to report any concerns they may have to the school administration. Questions or concerns may also be directed to the Board of Education by calling 706-541-0650, ext. 5207.
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Getting vaccinated is the single best way to protect yourself and your loved ones against influenza. Please visit the Columbia County Public Health Department or your local physician for the flu vaccine.
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The role of the School Nurse is to advance the well-being, academic success, and life-long achievement of students. To that end, school nurses facilitate positive student responses to normal development; promote health and safety; intervene with actual and potential health problems; and actively collaborate with others to build student and family capacity for adaptation, self management, self advocacy, and learning.
Inherent in this framework is the process of nursing decision-making, documentation of care and the assurance of strict confidentiality. Professional nurses address the physical, mental, emotional, and social health of their students. In addition, professional school nurses have as the ultimate outcome of their practice, the success of the student in the learning process. In this context the school nurse provides services to the entire school population, which include children with special needs, traditional school populations, and, to a limited degree, adults within the school community.
Columbia County School System has 18 school nurses. Each elementary school has a full time school nurse and the special services department has one part-time school nurse. The school nurses are responsible for one elementary school and one additional school, either a middle school or high school.
The school nurse visits their satellite school once per week for 4 hours. They are on-call for emergency at the middle and high schools.
The accepted national consensus on the best ratio of regular education students to school nurse is 750:1, Georgia has 1680:1, in a survey of half of the districts completed last year. Georgia ranked 44 out of 50 states on the overall child “well-being” index for 2002. There is a correlation between lower ratios of students to school nurses, and a state’s higher ranking on child well-being.
Healthy People 2010 includes the practice of school nurses in their strategy for addressing preventable threats to children’s health. The American Academy of Pediatrics recommends use of school nurses, not paraprofessionals, to deliver day to day nursing services and health counseling to children in schools.
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| Services that the School Nurses Provide |
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Nursing assessment of illness, injury and other health related problems
• Evaluation of injuries with first aid provided
• Administration of prescription medication ordered by your child’s doctor with parental consent.
• Administration of over-the-counter medications with parental consent.
• Screening of vision and hearing
• Blood pressure/pulse screening.
• Weight and height
• Nutrition information
• Health promotion and wellness information
• Scoliosis screening
• Immunization audits so that your child is properly immunized as standards are set by The Georgia Department of Human Resources.
• Liaison between educational and medical personnel with Health Care Plans for chronic medical conditions.
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