January 23, 2018

Dear Colleagues,

I am pleased to announce that the MA DPH Bureau of Community Health and Prevention has posted two career opportunities for school nurse applicants who may be interested:

Public Health Nursing Advisor I, Nursing Advisor for the Medication Administration Program:

External career site: https://massanf.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=180000AR

Public Health Nursing Advisor I , Nursing Advisor for the Mandated Screening Program:

External career site: https://massanf.taleo.net/careersection/ex/jobdetail.ftl?job=1800009X

First consideration will be given to those applicants that apply within the first 14 days!

 

We know that many of you are dealing with the very ill children due to the flu – and some of you have been stricken with the flu as well.  Flu activity is very widespread, so please continue to encourage parents to vaccinate their children, some of whom are at high risk for complications from the flu.  There are multiple sites with information pertaining to the flu:

A reminder of the upcoming workshops (see attached flier) on Racial Equity in School Health: A Groundwater Approach.  Two dates and locations are available for this conference:  March 27th in Lowell and May 15th.  Registration is now available for both of these locations at http://www.SHIELD-BU.org →Live Programs. Note: Registration limited to 120 participants at each location.

See the special invite (attached) from the MDPH in conjunction with the MA CFID/ME and FM Association to a special screening of UNREST which sheds light on the hidden lives of 1-2.5 million Americans (28,000 in MA) disabled by ME/CFS, a chronic, debilitating, multi-system illness that affects the immune, neurologic, vascular, respiratory and energy production systems. (Film trailer: https://www.unrest.film )

Thank you for all you do, every day, to keep our students healthy and safe!  And take good care of yourself, too!
Mary Ann and Janet

“The habits of a vigorous mind are formed in contending with difficulties.”—Abigail Adams, First Lady and Political Adviser
SAVE THE DATE FOR “SCHOOL HEALTH IN MASSACHUSETTS”!:

This year’s annual Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MCAAP) conference will be held on Wednesday, May 9th, from 9:30AM – 4PM, at the Massachusetts Medical Society Building in Waltham.  The focus of this year’s conference is “School Health in Massachusetts:  School and Healthcare Providers Working Together to Promote the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth”.  Please mark your calendars and attend with your school teams of school nurses, school physician and other local pediatricians (and their office staff!).  CME credits will be provided and the cost is $80 for registration (with a discount to be given to those attending as a “team”).  Look for more information to come but plan for this date and be sure to attend with your school health colleagues!!

LGBTQ HEALTH ISSUES:

Presented by the Department of Medicine, Brigham and Women’s Hospital and the Department of Global and Continuing Education, Harvard Medical School. Traditional medical education and training have not focused on the health care needs of LGBTQ individuals, which is an important topic of discussion given the numerous health disparities experienced by this population. The diverse subgroups in the LGBTQ community have been largely stigmatized in many areas of life, which leads to poor health outcomes and avoidance of medical treatment. These courses seek to bridge the gap in traditional medical education to help primary care physicians, specialists, and other health care professionals, who work with LGBTQ patients, to provide gender-sensitive and inclusive care.
Courses Include:

 

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

Earn PDPs or CEUs in Nutrition, Health and Wellness 
Register for a 4-Week Online Course from Framingham State University

 Register NOW!

Scroll down the page to view the Nutrition, Health and Wellness course options. 
Earning graduate credit is convenient and affordable with Framingham State’s online professional development courses. All courses count for one graduate credit and cost only $205 per course.

Each course provides 22.5 PDPs for Teachers or 15 hrs. Continuing Education for School Nutrition Professionals and RDs and RNs.

Spring I Session Dates: January 22 – February 16, 2018

  • Exploring Food: From the Ground Up!
  • Preventing Eating Disorders

Spring II Session: March 19 – April 13, 2018 – Registration coming soon!

  • Hydration and Beverages
  • School Gardening 101

UNDERSTANDING AND WORKING WITH HOARDING DISORDER:  HELPING THE PERSON BEHIND THE DIAGNOSIS:

SAVE THE DATE FOR “SCHOOL HEALTH IN MASSACHUSETTS”!:

This year’s annual Massachusetts Chapter of the American Academy of Pediatrics (MCAAP) conference will be held on Wednesday, May 9th, from 9:30AM – 4PM, at the Massachusetts Medical Society Building in Waltham.  The focus of this year’s conference is “School Health in Massachusetts:  School and Healthcare Providers Working Together to Promote the Health and Wellbeing of Children and Youth”.  Please mark your calendars and attend with your school teams of school nurses, school physician and other local pediatricians (and their office staff!).  CME credits will be provided and the cost is $80 for registration (with a discount to be given to those attending as a “team”).  Look for more information to come but

REGIONAL CONSULTANT CONTACT INFORMATION:

EOHHS Region Name Office Phone Cell Phone Email
Central Kate Maher 978-567-6190, ext. 21122 kcmaher@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