September 11, 2017

Dear Colleagues,

Last week MDPH launched our latest public information campaign, Stop Addiction Before It Starts, to encourage parents to talk early and often with their children about the dangers of misusing prescription pain medications.  We want parents to know just how strong their influence is when it comes to helping their kids understand the dangers of prescription medication misuse. Please see provide parents with the information they need and encourage them to read the helpful tips here.

A reminder of the Introduction to School Nursing Leadership program that is being offered this week through BU SHIELD for ALL nurses new to school nursing leadership in their schools or districts.  This is a forum for networking, consultation and to provide a few helpful tips on how to get started as an effective School Nurse Leader!  If you are interested, please register at: http://bucme.org/node/1088

We say good-bye this week to our Regional Consultant for the Central Region, Kathy Charrette.   Kathy will be taking on a new role in school nursing….one with far less commuting and travel!  She has certainly left her mark in terms of leadership of the Central Region!  Thank you, Kathy, for your passion for school nursing!  We hope to have a new Regional Consultant for the Central Region appointed very soon!

A few updates for you to start the week!  Hope it’s a good week!
Mary Ann, Carol and Janet

“Simplicity boils down to two steps: Identify the essential. Eliminate the rest”.   Leo Babauta, writer


School Nurses in the News!

Congratulations to Barbara Naser, School Nurse in the Natick Public Schools, who received The James Lavezzo Award that honors a Natick Public Schools staff member that exemplifies someone who goes above and beyond the call of duty, gives his/her personal time without reservation, reaches out to parents and therapists to create a circle of support in kids’ lives among other criteria.  Staff are nominated for this award by their school principals.  See picture below (Barbara is the Nurse in the middle with the white shirt on). This is a well-deserved honor!

And congratulations to Mary Zakrzewski, who recently obtained her Director/ Supervisor license and has been promoted to Supervisor of Health Services PreK-12 for the Marlborough Public Schools! This is such an exciting accomplishments!

A recent article in the Cape Cod Times highlights the efforts of school nurses in that region to supply naloxone in their schools. Several nursing leaders, including  Pam Ciborowski, Nursing and Wellness Coordinator for Barnstable Public Schools and Katie Vozeolas, President of the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization and the Director of Nursing for Haverhill Public Schools.  See the full article here: http://www.capecodtimes.com/news/20170910/narcan-availability-on-rise-in-cape-schools


From the MDPH Concussion Program:

The MDPH Concussion Program is mailing 4 copies of the new quick reference guide, Head Injury Prevention and Management in Schools, to all middle school and high school principal.  Please see the attached letter that is accompanying this mailing.  It includes information on opioid abuse prevention for student athletes.  These booklets will be distributed to school nurses at all regional meetings this fall.

The Massachusetts Medical Society along with the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and the Brain Injury Association of Massachusetts has produced and made available to healthcare professionals and to the public a new online 1 ½ hour webinar aimed at identifying and managing  concussions as well as fully understanding the physical and cognitive limitations that can occur after a concussion. The multi-media program, “Concussion Treatment, Management and Prevention,” includes an overview of the signs,  symptoms and treatment of concussion,  recommendations for graduated return to play and return to learn for students who have suffered a concussion and an overview of policies and procedures required by the Mass. sports concussion regulations.

The program’s expert panel includes James Gessner, MD, Immediate Past President of the Massachusetts Medical Society; Michael Beasley, MD, Staff Physician, Boston Children’s Hospital Sports Medicine; Kathleen Thornton,  MS, LAT, CSCS, Team Leader Injury Prevention,  Southcoast Health; Alan G. Kulberg, MD, Berkshire Medical Center Concussion Clinic ; and Linda Brown, MBA, of the Mass. Department of Public Health.  The MA sports concussion regulations require physicians, nurse practitioners, licensed athletic trainers, physician assistants and neuropsychologists providing medical clearance for return to play for student athletes verify that they have received DPH approved clinical training in traumatic head injury assessment and management.  This webinar qualifies as a DPH approved training.

Here are the links to the training:
Free videos on conference archives page.
www.massmed.org/ConcussionTreatmentManagementandPrevention

For CMEs go to the Online CME course
www.massmed.org/CME/ConcussionTreatmentManagementandPrevention

For more information contact Linda Brown at Mass. Department of Public Health at linda.brown@state.ma.us


MDPH Immunization Program Updates:

The annual Immunization Surveys are being conducted by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (MDPH) Immunization Program. Attached to this email are instructions, a worksheet, and our annual memo to schools regarding the survey. These documents, and other resources about school immunizations, can also be found on our website, www.mass.gov/dph/imm, under “School Immunizations” and then “School Immunization Information for School Nurses.” (http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/id/immunization/school-immunization-information-for-school-nurses-.html)

Schools with access to the MIIS should complete their Grade 7 Immunization Survey using the MIIS.  The MIIS can be accessed through the Virtual Gateway: https://sso.hhs.state.ma.us

For assistance with user registration for the MIIS, please contact the MIIS Help Desk at 617-983-4335. Quick reference guides and other trainings can be found at www.contactmiis.info

The MDPH 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 on Wednesday, September 13th, and will be 1 hour in length followed by a 30 minute Q&A session. You may register for the webinar here: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2804611555175738883  If you are unable to attend, a recording will be made available shortly after the live webinar has completed.

PLEASE NOTE: The deadline for the Immunization Surveys has changed – all surveys must be submitted by the listed deadline. This is a hard deadline – absolutely no surveys will be accepted after this date.

Revised Religious Exemption Requirement:

As a reminder, to address concerns about religious exemptions to vaccines and ensure that the student body is best protected from vaccine preventable disease, beginning in the fall of 2017 religious exemptions to vaccination must be renewed annually, like medical exemptions.

Any student who currently has a religious exemption on file will be allowed to maintain that exemption for the 2017-18 school year, but it will have to be renewed for the 2018-19 school year.  Parents/Guardians should be informed that moving forward, all religious exemptions must be renewed annually.  An annual renewal means that parents/guardians must write and sign a new religious exemption.  All religious exemptions should be dated by the signing parent/guardian to allow for monitoring of annual renewals each school year.   Annual renewal of exemptions should occur at the start of each school year. School nurses can now use this annual renewal as an opportunity to remind parents of the benefits of vaccines, answer any questions the parents may have, and encourage them to visit their health care provider to receive the vaccines they need.  For any questions about Immunization Surveys, please contact the Immunization Assessment Unit at 617-983-4330.

School Immunizations Website Updated

The Immunization Program’s School Immunization website was recently updated to describe the importance of school requirements and the publically available school immunization data. The main changes to the page included:

  1. Content on the page geared towards a general public audience
  2. School data maps on exemption rates and guidance on how to interpret each of the maps
  3. Resource list for parents with descriptions of each resource/link
  4. New resource page for school nurses at the bottom of the page entitled ‘School Immunization Information for School Nurses’ – this new resource page has information related to school surveys and associated materials

School immunization rates provide insight into the vaccine coverage in communities across the state. Since immunization rates are not uniform across the state, school immunization data found on this website highlight areas that may be more susceptible to vaccine-preventable diseases.  In addition, the Immunization Program recently updated their school requirements table with the following footnote to describe exemptions, including annual renewal of both medical and religious exemptions “†Medical exemptions (dated statement signed by a physician stating that a vaccine(s) are medically contraindicated for a student) and  religious exemptions (dated statement signed by a student or parent/guardian, if the student is <18 years of age, stating that a vaccine(s) are against sincerely held religious beliefs) must be renewed annually, at the start of the school year.” School nurses can now use this annual renewal as an opportunity to remind parents of the benefits of vaccines, answer any questions the parents may have, and encourage them to visit their health care provider to receive the vaccines they need. The school requirements table, as well as other school immunization information, can be found by visiting www.mass.gov/dph/imm and clicking on School Immunizations.

Massachusetts PTA Webinar on Vaccine Confidence

The Immunization Program partnered with the Massachusetts Chapter of the PTA to present a webinar entitled, “Building Vaccine Confidence to Ensure the Optimal Health of Children in Massachusetts” on August 8, 2017. This webinar outlines ways that parents can build their vaccine confidence and become vaccine advocates in their community. The presentation includes information on the benefits of vaccination, common myths about vaccines, school immunization and exemption data, how to find your local school’s immunization and exemption rates, the importance of adolescent immunization, and effective communication strategies to build vaccine confidence. Massachusetts PTA has posted a blog article about the webinar and you are more than welcome to watch the recorded webinar. Parents in your school may have watched this webinar so we wanted to share it with you as well.

MIIS School Module Webinar – Wednesday, September 13, 2017 at 3:00-4:30pm

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.

Wednesday September 13 3:00-4:30pm – click here to register: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/2804611555175738883

If you are unable to attend, a recording will be made available shortly after the live webinar has completed. We encourage you to register so that you will receive the link to the recording.

Thank you for your work ensuring that Massachusetts children stay healthy and fully vaccinated,

Rebecca Vanucci
Immunization Outreach Coordinator, Immunization Program


MDPH and MCAAP are pleased to announce two upcoming Immunization Initiative Webinars:

Thursday, September 14, 2017, 12:00-1:00 p.m.
Improving Human Papillomavirus (HPV) Vaccination Rates Through A Local Partnership

Michael Fishbein, MD, Radiologist, Cape Cod Health Care
Eileen Duffey-Lind, RN, MSN, CPNP, Founder, Team Maureen
Kelly Welch, Executive Director, Team Maureen

Learner Objectives:
At the conclusion of the program, the participant should be able to:

  • Discuss the HPV-related cancer burden;
  • Describe the partnership created between Cape Cod Health Care and Team Maureen to develop activities to prevent HPV-related cancers;
  • Review the activities undertaken through this collaborative effort (education of general public, youth, dental providers and medical providers);
  • Discuss the lessons learned from these activities and future collaborative efforts.

Click here to register for the webinar on September 14, 2017.

Thursday, November 2, 2017, 12:00-1:00 p.m. 2017-2018 Influenza Season Update
Susan Lett, MD, MPH, Medical Director, MDPH Immunization Program

Learner Objectives:
At the conclusion of the program, the participant should be able to:

  • Review the Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices (ACIP) recommendations for the 2017-2018 influenza season;
  • Describe the latest MDPH information about vaccine supply and availability, as well as programmatic updates.

Click here to register for the webinar on November 2, 2017.

General Webinar Information:
The 2017 MCAAP Immunization Initiative Pediatric Immunization Update Webinar Series has been developed in collaboration with the Bureau of Infectious Disease, Massachusetts Department of Public Health. The goal of the webinar series is to improve child and adolescent immunization rates in Massachusetts.

Target Audience
The target audience includes healthcare professionals who provide immunizations to children and adolescents in Massachusetts, including Chapter pediatricians and family practice physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses, physician assistants, medical assistants, public health workers, community health center staff, and office staff who work in pediatric health care settings.

Continuing Education Accreditation
The Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, Massachusetts Department of Public Health is accredited by the Massachusetts Medical Society to provide continuing medical education for physicians.

The Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, Massachusetts Department of Public Health, designates these Live webinar activities for a maximum of 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit(s)™. Physicians should claim only the credit commensurate with the extent of their participation in the activity.

These programs have been offered by the Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences, Massachusetts Department of Public Health. A maximum of 1.0 contact hours for each program will be provided in accordance with the regulations governing continuing education requirements for the following Boards of Registration:

Board of Registration in Nursing (CMR 244 5.00), Board of Registration of Social Workers (258CMR 31.00et seq), Board of Mental Health Professions (262CMR 7.00), Board of Certification of Health Officers (241CMR 4.03), Board of Registration of Sanitarians (255CMR 5.02).

Pharmacists may receive up to 1.0 AMA PRA Category 1 Credit™ in accordance with 247CMR 4.00.

Registration Information
Registration for the one-hour webinars is free.
Webinar participants will receive a CME/CEU Activity Award Certificate by email after the webinar.

Questions?
If you have any questions or need additional information, please contact Cynthia McReynolds (cmcreynolds@mms.org; 781.895.9850).


Mylan’s EpiPen4Schools® program:
Mylan’s EpiPen4Schools® program continues to help improve access to epinephrine in the event a person experiences a life-threatening allergic reaction (anaphylaxis) in the school setting:

  • Four free EpiPen® (epinephrine injection, USP) or EpiPen Jr® (epinephrine injection, USP) Auto- Injectors in the form of two 2-Pak® cartons or one 2-Pak® carton of each kind.
  • Free replenishment product in the event that the free supply is used to respond to a life-threatening allergic reaction.
  • A convenient storage unit, the EpiLocker®, to store cartons received through the program.
  • EpiPen® Trainers, which contains no drug product or needle, to practice administering EpiPen® Auto-Injector.

In an effort to ensure every eligible school is aware of the program and the resources that are available, visit EpiPen4Schools.com to learn more about how you can enroll your school.

*A school will only receive EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr® Auto-Injectors in accordance with all applicable laws. Requirements to qualify for this offer include having a valid prescription. There is no requirement for a school to purchase additional EpiPen® or EpiPen Jr® Auto-Injectors.


Northampton Public Schools Policy Revision Related to Nondiscrimination on the Basis of Gender Identity:

The Northampton School Committee approved a policy related to nondiscrimination on the basis of transgender and gender nonconforming status.  It includes recognizing students by the gender they identify with and using pronouns they feel most comfortable with. The policy allows transgender students access to sports and locker rooms, which is already mandated under state law. You can read their full nondiscrimination policy on the Northampton Public Schools website.   See the news coverage of this policy at:  http://wwlp.com/2017/08/11/northampton-public-school-system-update-gender-protection-policy/


From the MIAA – Student Leadership Workshop:

A Workshop for high school  Captains, Student-Athletes, Class and Activity Group Officers, Educators, Advisors, Activity Group Leaders, Coaches, Athletic Directors, and anyone interested in learning more about effective model programs, best practices, and prevention strategies!
So You’re a Leader…Now What?!
Leadership 101 and Beyond!
Wednesday, October 4, 2017 at the MIAA Office, Franklin, MA

Registration: 8:00 am to 8:30 am
Workshop: 8:30 am to 1:30 pm

Workshop Sessions Feature:

  • Leadership Development
  • Team Building
  • Communication
  • Problem Solving
  • Best Practices
  • Substance Abuse and Teen Dating Violence Prevention
  • Action Planning
  • Schools are encouraged to register groups of students with their adult leaders.
  • Fee of $30 per person includes continental breakfast, lunch and materials.

conference flyer

register online

 

Regional Consultant Contact Information:

EOHHS Region Name Office Phone Cell Phone Email
Central Kathleen Charette 978-567-6190, ext. 21122 774-230-3868 kmcharette@hudson.k12.ma.us
Metrowest Jean Afzali 781-848-4000, ext. 7841 781-724-4018 jafzali@braintreema.gov
Northeast Shanyn Toulouse 978-420-1919 978-761-2307 shanyn.toulouse@haverhill-ps.org
Southeast Ann Klaver 508-580-7363 annmarieklaver@bpsma.org
West Diane Colucci 413-750-2511 colucci-hechtd@springfieldpublicschools.com
Therese Blain 413-750-2007 blaint@springfieldpublicschools.com

Mary Ann Gapinski, MSN, RN, NCSN
Director of School Health Services/ School SBIRT Coordinator
MA Department of Public Health
250 Washington Street – 5th 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