December 13, 2017

Dear Colleagues,

It’s December….and one of the busiest times of the year.  Hope this finds you all well and able to find time to enjoy this most festive season of the year!  I am sure the anticipation of the holiday season is also felt (and heard) in your schools, but I want to thank you all for what you do for children who are not feeling this excitement for multiple known and unknown reasons.  You meet their needs in so many ways all year long, but I know you will be working extra hard in the coming weeks to ensure that all children in your care will feel special during this holiday season.

We are trying to keep you updated concerning the requirement for the training related to DOMESTIC VIOLENCE/SEXUAL VIOLENCE for nurses and other licensed health and human service professionals as mandated by Chapter 260 §9 of the Acts of 2014, An Act Relative to Domestic Violence.  At this time, the Board of Registration in Nursing has not posted any approved trainings; as soon as they do so, we will make that information available.  Our SHIELD program is planning to host an in person (live) training at some time in January.  The Board has also stated that there will be an online program posted on the website in December 2017 but this is not yet available.  Registered Nurses that are due to renew their license in January, February or March of 2018 will be granted a waiver for this requirement until their next renewal period in 2020.  This means that this requirement will be in place for all Registered Nurses renewing their license in beginning in April.  As we receive more information, we will provide it to you.

Thank you to all who both participated and attended last week’s MDPH School Health Services Quarterly meeting!  It was truly a pleasure to see so many of you at the meeting held in collaboration with School Psychologists (they want to make it annual event!)!  It was a great program, coordinated with the School Psychology program at Tufts University, highlighting some essential programs that will serve our students well! 

The registration for the next Racial Equity Conference is now open on SHIELD! Please see the attached flyer with more information! A reminder that this workshop is open to all

 school health teams, including nurses, counselors, athletic trainers, psychologists, and administrators.   With its focus on equity and diverse populations, this course enables educators to meet ESL (RETELL) professional development requirements in accordance with 603 CMR 44.06(1)(a).  Space is limited to 120 participants. 

On a personal note, this Friday we say good-bye and happy retirement to Carol Smith, School Health Nursing Advisor with the School Health Unit.  Carol has been with School Health since 2014 but worked many years before that in other DPH departments including community health centers with a focus on immunizations.  We will miss Carol and her support and kindness she demonstrates every day here!  Join us in wishing her well in her new adventure in life!

Thank you for ALL you do….today and every day!
Mary Ann, Carol and Janet

“Honor is self-esteem made visible in action.” –Ayn Rand, writer

SCHOOL NURSES IN THE NEWS!

Congratulations to Shanyn Toulouse, Regional Consultant for the Northeast Region, on being awarded an Advocacy Education Scholarship from the National Association of School Nurses (NASN)!   The purpose of this scholarship is to provide financial support for a school nurse to participate in an advocacy education program.  We will be hearing more from Shanyn as she progresses with her project….we are all sure to benefit her from work bringing a school nursing perspective to school-health decision making processes!

In honor of the Patron Saint, Elizabeth of Hungary, St. Elizabeth’s Church in Wilmington recognized all Wilmington School Nurses for their dedication, work and sacrifice on November 26th during an award ceremony.

Wilmington Public Schools and the Director of Nursing, Doreen Crowe, was also recognized in a recent Lowell Sun article about the Wildcat Project Part 3, the district’s substance awareness and education program: http://www.lowellsun.com/news/ci_31516737/opioid-program-gets-grant-at-wilmington-high

SBIRT UPDATE:

A reminder that the statewide Introduction to SBIRT programs will soon be ending.  There are three remaining sessions (Newton, Haverhill and Leominster) for which school staff who have not yet participated in this mandatory training should attend….please see the SHIELD website for dates and locations at: http://bucme.org/node/1089 . Because all public schools (local, regional, charter and vocational) must implement this screening as mandated by MGL 71 § 97 by June 2018 and both planning and implementation require much team work, it is essential that all school health professionals participating in this screening attend this training in order to be adequately and appropriately prepared to conduct the screenings.

Workshops on the Essentials of SBIRT for districts for those districts that request this local training will be ongoing through the end of March 2018.  These trainings can be requested by filling out the form on the SBIRT in Schools website at:  http://www.masbirt.org/training-request  After this date, technical assistance and consultation will continue to be provided to school health personnel as needed and requested.

FINAL REMINDER – IMMUNIZATION SURVEYS DUE!

This is a reminder to complete Kindergarten and Grade 7 Immunization Surveys by December 15th. No surveys will be accepted after this date.  If you have any questions, please contact the Assessment Unit at 617-983-4330.  As a reminder, when submitting your immunization survey through the MA Immunization Information System (MIIS),your internet browser’s pop-up blocker should be turned off. For more information on how to turn off your pop-up blocker, see the links below:

Internet Explorer: https://support.microsoft.com/en-us/help/17479/windows-internet-explorer-11-change-security-privacy-settings

Chrome: https://support.google.com/chrome/answer/95472?co=GENIE.Platform%3DDesktop&hl=en

Firefox: https://support.mozilla.org/en-US/kb/pop-blocker-settings-exceptions-troubleshooting#w_pop-up-blocker-settings

Safari: https://discussions.apple.com/thread/4271925?start=0&tstart=0

NEW DPH OVERDOSE PREVENTION PAGE:

Please see the new DPH Overdose Prevention page. If anyone in your district or community members are looking for information about overdose prevention and naloxone access, please provide them with this  link to this page for any  topic related to overdoses. It has training resources, free materials via the Clearinghouse, as well as information about the DPH Overdose Education and Naloxone Distribution (OEND) Program.  There is information related to the Municipal and Schools Bulk Purchasing Programs as well.  Please see:  www.mass.gov/naloxone

BCH Community Education Initiative Programming

This just in!!! You’ve spoken and we’ve listened!  The RETELL website will stay up for 6 more months.  At that time, the course material will be re-evaluated.  So you still have time!  Courses are $40 each and will help you in meeting your RETELL requirements in your district. Please visit the site at  http://ceiretell.lendboston.org/login/index.php

4-WEEK ONLINE NUTRITION, HEALTH & WELLNESS GRADUATE COURSES AT FRAMINGHAM STATE 

DIABETES NUMERACY: A REQUEST FROM A DNP CANDIDATE:

My name is Ann Marie Klaver, I am a student at Northeastern University, in the Doctor of Nursing Practice program. In the previous months you were asked to take the evaluation and enhancement of the knowledge and confidence of school nurses in Massachusetts regarding diabetes numeracy survey.

Below is a link to the webinar that was announced would be coming following the survey. This presentation is a voice over power point that takes approximately 30 minutes to complete.

Please click on the link below for your continued participation in my project. Please complete this portion by the end of December. In the beginning of January you will be sent out the last post survey link to complete this project.

The survey results will be presented in the spring.

I appreciate your support.

Ann M. Klaver, MSN RN

https://blackboard.neu.edu/bbcswebdav/xid-24427518_1

ADDITIONAL INFORMATION ON E-CIGATRATES, VAPING AND JUULING:

The Massachusetts Tobacco Prevention and Cessation Program (MTCP) at the Department of Public Health has a few resources we can point you to for assistance with e-cigarettes.  We are currently developing a one-page flyer with MA-specific information on vaping and will forward it to you as soon as we are able to do so.

In the meantime, here are a few links:

Big Tobacco Targets Kids is a brochure that is available to either download or order (free of charge) through the MA Health Promotion Clearinghouse.  This provides some data and general information about the tobacco industry’s tactics of making their products sweet, cheap and easy to get.  It also contains an overview of some of the tobacco products, including e-cigarettes.

http://massclearinghouse.ehs.state.ma.us/product/TC3463.html

The Surgeon General’s report on E-cigarette Use among Youth and Young Adults is a great resource on this topic and has information, inclusive of a tip sheet for parents (in the resources section).

https://e-cigarettes.surgeongeneral.gov/default.htm.

The Food and Drug Administration has a campaign titled “The Real Cost” and recently came out with two ads specifically targeting vaping.  The link I’ve included is to the YouTube channel for the campaign videos as well as general information about the campaign.

General information:  https://www.fda.gov/TobaccoProducts/PublicHealthEducation/PublicEducationCampaigns/TheRealCostCampaign/default.htm

YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/user/KnowTheRealCost/videos (the vaping videos are titled “Hacked”)