June 12, 2017

Dear Colleagues,

Although school is almost over for many of our students, there are still numerous learning opportunities for school health professionals!  This School Health Update has many upcoming (some this week!) programs available for professional development.  Please be sure to see all those mentioned in this email as well as the ones that are attached.  And please remember that SHIELD is holding a three day Summer School Health Institute. It will be jointly provided with Children’s Hospital Boston and will take place August 15^th – 17^th at the Holiday Inn Boston – Dedham Hotel and Conference Center.  The first two days will focus on Health Assessment Skills and the last day will be a workshop on Emergency Preparedness for School Nurses. To register please go to www.shield-bu.org à Live Programs à Workshops/Trainings.   For more detailed information please see the attached flyer and do not hesitate to reply to this e-mail with any questions you may have.

I sent an email related to the funding that the Maine Department of Agriculture, Conservation and Forestry has received.  This grant is to provide school nurses throughout the 12 northeastern states and DC with tools, information and training designed to aid in prevention and management of health-risk pests on school properties. This project is endorsed by the National Association of School Nurses. You are invited to participate in a brief survey about pest issues and concerns at your schools. The results of the survey will be used to ensure that resulting materials and information are relevant and helpful to you and your schools. If you have any questions please contact the project coordinator, Dr. Kathy Murray at kathy.murray@maine.gov or 207-287-7616. Complete the survey by clicking here or by pasting this URL into your browser: https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/PZVGDBF.  Thank you for your participation!  The results of this project could be very helpful to schools!

Please also see the flyer  (A FORUM 1.) with information related to the forum to Boys and Men and The Effects of Sexual Victimization Over the Lifespan.  This conference will be held on June 15th at 10am will be a very informative panel on better understanding male victimization, including rape, exploitation and other forms of abuse.

Thank you for continuing to improve the quality of our school health services through these and other professional development opportunities!

Have a good week!
Mary Ann, Carol and Janet

“It is not enough that we do our best; sometimes we must do what is required.” – Winston Churchill, former British prime minister

 School Nurses in the News!

We have heard that Marcia Lamoureaux BSN, RN, Nurse Leader in the Southwick Regional School District recently performed CPR on a faculty member and he is recovering as a result!

Nurses save lives!  Thank you, Marcia!

From the MDPH Immunization Program:

The Massachusetts Immunization Information System (MIIS) will be leading a webinar that will review enhancements to the MIIS School Module. The webinar will also walk through the steps to submit an Immunization Survey through the MIIS. The presentation will be 1 hour in length followed by a 30 minute Q&A session.
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the webinar. The webinar will be held on two dates.  To register, click the link next to the date you’d like to participate in the webinar.

Tuesday June 13 3:00-4:30pm – click here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1998490309918284289

Wednesday June 14 3:00-4:30pm – click here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/202497439635425538

From the MDPH Concussion Program:

This email was sent this past week to school teams:

Dear School Principals, Athletic Directors and School Nurses,

I am writing regarding the mandatory requirements of the Mass. Department of Public Health (MDPH) sports concussion regulations (105 CMR 201.000 Head Injuries and Concussions in Extracurricular Athletic Activities) for the annual Year End Reporting Form for Schools for 2016-2017.  This year we are collecting this data electronically via the checkbox link below.  There are FAQs at the end of this email that hopefully will answer your questions about the electronic submission.  If you would like to fill out a paper form instead please contact me and I’ll send it out to you.

https://mdph.checkboxonline.com/2016-2017HeadInjuryYearEndReporting.aspx

Regulations require that all public middle and high schools (including charter schools) serving grades 6-12 with extracurricular sports activities and all private schools that are members of the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association (MIAA),  provide data to the MDPH annually on the Year End Concussion Reporting Form.  (Please note the requirement of membership to MIAA only applies to other, e.g. private schools, not public schools.) This form on the link has detailed instructions. The regulations specify that, unless school policies dictate otherwise, the Athletic Director is responsible for reporting these annual statistics to the Department of Public Health.  If your school does not have an extracurricular sports program you do not need to submit a form but please send me an email to let me know.  Please only send one form per school.  We have added 1 new optional question, #10.  This information would be helpful to MDPH but please know it is optional.   This Year End form is due to the MDPH by August 31, 2017 for the school year 2016-2017.  You do not have to send anything to me, just hit “Finish” on the electronic form and we will automatically receive it.

Please circulate this email and form to the Athletic Director, school nurse, or other appropriate school staff.  The regulations and other DPH information about sports-related head injuries and concussions can be found at our website:  www.mass.gov/sportsconcussion.  If you have any questions feel free to contact me at 617-624-5432 or linda.brown@state.ma.us. Thank you, Linda

From the MDPH Office of Problem Gambling Services:

You’re invited to participate in the Problem Gambling New Challenges and Opportunities Webinar on Thursday, June 15 from 1:00-2:30 pm. Click here to register

From Chipotle Restaurants:

Chipotle offers nurses free burritos June 14!

Chipotle restaurants across the country will offer free entrees to nurses as part of a promotion this month.  Nurses who show professional identification will receive one free burrito, bowl, salad or order of tacos with the purchase of one entree of greater or equal value.  Various types of nurses are included in the promotion, including RN, NP, CRNA, CNS, CNM, LVN, CNA and local equivalents, according to Chipotle.  The offer, valid for one day only, cannot be combined with any other coupons or promotions and is valid in-store only.

From the Centers for Disease Control (CDC):

From Brigham and Women’s Hospital

The BWH Annual Learn and Teach about Asthma/ Aprenda y Enseñe de Asma program is scheduled for Saturday June 17^th.  Additionally, we are happy to provide this course free of charge for any interested parents and volunteers of your programs. Please have all interested parties call me to register. Below is a brief description of our course:

Learn and Teach about Asthma is an innovative and unique continuing education program for front-line healthcare providers and educators.  The first unique feature of this program is our target audience: licensed practical nurses, medical assistants, smoking cessation educators, child care educators, and community health workers, a group who can have a big impact on the care of persons with asthma. Second, the program is provided in English and in Spanish simultaneously with both English and Spanish speaking faculty.  This allows participants who learn better in their native Spanish language to participate fully in the presentations. Third, the program helps us achieve part of our goal to reduce racial and ethnic disparities among healthcare workers, as well as patients. Please contact me if I may provide additional information or answer any question you may have, many thanks.

Jacqueline Rodriguez-Louis, MPH, M.Ed.

Programs Leader, PAC Community Outreach
Division of Pulmonary and Critical Care Medicine
Brigham and Women’s Hospital
75 Francis Street |PBB Clinics 3| Boston, MA 02115
Tel: 617-732-7464 |  Fax: 617-732-7421

Email: jrodriguezlouis1@partners.org

From the Natick Public Schools:

The final edition of 180 Days with T1D newsletter from Danielle King, BSN, RN, Bennett Hemenway Elementary School Nurse, is attached.  She asks that you click on the link and take the survey in this edition. It will greatly help to guide her work in the future.

Have a wonderful, happy and safe summer!
Danielle King, BSN, RN
Bennett Hemenway Elementary School Nurse
phone:  508. 647. 6582
fax: 508. 650. 0565
dking@natickps.org

From the Boston University School of Public Health:

Impact of Zika on Women and Children: Realities and Recommendations for Public Health Professionals and Clinicians

Thursday, June 15, 2017, 12:00-1:00pm

Join us online    (Registration:  https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8219217037132307713)

OR  in person at BU School of Public Health (see flyer in email below)

If you work with or plan programs for women of reproductive age and their families, you will not want to miss this webinar!

Speakers:    David Hamer, MD, Professor of Global Health and Medicine, Boston University Schools of Public Health and Medicine

Christina Yarrington, MD, FACOG, Maternal & Fetal Medicine, Boston Medical Center, Assistant Professor, Obstetrics & Gynecology, Boston University School of Medicine

Discussant:  Catherine Brown, DVM, MSc, MPH, Deputy State Epidemiologist & State Public Health Veterinarian, Massachusetts Department of Public Health

In this one hour webinar, Drs. Hamer and Yarrington will present current and emerging information about the Zika virus and its implications for practice in all MCH-related fields. As Infectious Disease and Maternal and Fetal Medicine physicians (respectively) with expertise and experience in the spread of Zika, its prevention and management, Drs. Hamer and Yarrington will:

• frame the topic for clinical and public health practitioners;
• highlight key areas of current debate and practice;
• present facts about the virus, its epidemiology and what we know about modes of transmission and clinical manifestations including the congenital Zika syndrome;
• summarize best practices for public health professionals, including in the areas surveillance and family planning;
• summarize best practices for clinicians, including screening, counseling, and care of pregnant women and parents of Zika-affected newborns.

Dr. Brown, the Deputy State Epidemiologist for the State of Massachusetts Department of Public Health, will serve as discussant and conclude the webinar by describing how collaborations between local and state health departments and MCH organizations can vastly extend the reach and effectiveness of public education about Zika, prevention and preparedness. The final 10 minutes will be open for audience questions and comments.

REGISTER ONLINE at https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/8219217037132307713  

OR  RSVP to jmargo@bu.edu to join us in person at BU School of Public Health

From the John Stalker Institute at Framingham State University:

Mary Ann Gapinski, MSN, RN, NCSN

Director of School Health Services/ School SBIRT Coordinator

MA Department of Public Health

250 Washington Street – 5^th Floor

Boston, MA  02108

mary.gapinski@state.ma.us

Website: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/community-health/primarycare-healthaccess/school-health/

SBIRT information:  www.masbirt.org/schools