2/04/2021 MDPH School Health Unit Update

Greetings from the School Health Unit!

 

I am a big fan of author Glennon Doyle and follow her on social media.  This week she posted the following, which made me smile and nod in agreement:

 

“A journalist once asked me, ‘with the onslaught of bad news and endless needs-how do you not quit?’  I said: ‘Oh I do quit!  Quitting is my favorite.  Every day I quit.  Every single day.’

I wake up and I care the most amount.  And then- at some point- I put it all away and melt into my people and my couch and food and nothingness.  And I care not at all.  I forget it all.  Then I go to sleep and wake up and begin again.  Begin and quit every day!  Only way to survive.”

 

I don’t know about you, but I can totally handle caring the most (and then quitting) ONE DAY AT A TIME : )

 

With great admiration for all you are doing every day,

Karen

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Speaking of quitting, next week you will not receive a weekly email from me (unless there is some kind of hot off the press news), because we will be debuting a new newsletter in partnership with the School Nurse Regional Consultants and BU SHIELD!  A wonderful BU grad student, Hannah Burgess, has helped us to develop a format that is easy on the eyes, but also easier to compile and manage than our previous newsletter.  Here is a greeting and introduction from Hannah herself:

 

“Hi! My name is Hannah Burgess. I am from Toronto, Ontario and I moved to Boston this past August to pursue my MPH at Boston University. I consider myself to be incredibly altruistic. While studying for my undergraduate degree, my desire to help others lead me towards a career in Public Health. My passion lies within helping our youth. I have an 11-year-old sister, watching her learn and grow inspired me towards wanting to introduce the extraordinary field of Public Health to the younger population. As, ultimately, our future is in their hands. I joined SHIELD’s team because of how well our values and goals align. School Nurses are the key to keeping our youth healthy and in school, learning. I am excited to help School Nurses excel at their jobs and continue to have a positive impact on youth and their families in Massachusetts! I hope to progress through the field by creating educational programs that increase awareness of Public Health and the importance of learning.”

 

Welcome and thank you Hannah!

 

COVID-19 Vaccine updates

 

If you will be participating in a vaccination clinic, please take the time to review the following MDPH trainings:

 

https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-vaccine-administration-training/download

https://www.mass.gov/doc/covid-19-vaccine-training-the-moderna-supplement/download

 

Additionally, Q & A sessions are being offered by the MDPH Immunization Division; register for an upcoming session here.

 

BU SHIELD updates

 

Registration for the February CSHS State Nurse Leader meeting (required for all grantees but open to all), At the Intersection of Health and Education: Recognizing Bias for Better Outcomes, Thursday, February 25, 2021, is now open here!

 

We continue to offer BinaxNOW training sessions weekly; finds dates and register here.

 

Resources

NASN has released interim guidance regarding the role of school nursing in school COVID-19 testing programs.

 

During the pandemic, schools and districts are finding new ways to build and maintain relationships between teachers, staff, and students. Adult to Student Relationship Mapping is the systematic identification of student-adult trusted relationships in the school community. This approach allows educators to identify students who may be at risk of not having such a trusted connection and match them with appropriate supports for navigating academic and personal challenges throughout the school year. Please click here for more information from DESE on how to implement a mapping project.

 

Self-Care Corner

 

Did you know?  If you have a mammogram scheduled in the near future, and you have also recently been vaccinated against COVID-19, you should probably call ahead and let your provider know.  Axillary adenopathy has been reported after COVID-19 vaccination and the Society for Breast Imaging has published the following recommendation for timing of mammography around vaccination:

https://www.sbi-online.org/Portals/0/Position%20Statements/2021/SBI-recommendations-for-managing-axillary-adenopathy-post-COVID-vaccination.pdf

School Nurses in the News!

 

PROUD OF THE CHELSEA PUBLIC SCHOOLS NURSING TEAM!!!

 

“I want to personally give a WELL DESERVED THANK YOU to Juliann Boesch, Justine Hall, Kathy Harris, Kim Rosario, and Kim Sammons for devoting their time and effort in assisting and participating in creating history by administering the COVID-19 vaccine to first responders.  This historical event took place at the Rumney Marsh Academy in Revere last week and continues this week.

It is with tremendous GRATITUDE that I thank each and every Chelsea School Nurse who unselfishly give of themselves every day!”

 

Denise Ferrari DiResta RN MSN

School Health Manager

Kathy Harris, Kelly Elementary School Nurse for Chelsea Public Schools receiving her vaccine from Chelsea’s Public Health Nurse, Paula Mchatton.

 

 

Karen Robitaille, MBA, MSN, RN, NCSN

<she, her, hers>

Director of School Health Services

Division of Child/Adolescent Health and Reproductive Health

Massachusetts Department of Public Health

250 Washington St. 5th floor, Boston, MA 02108

karen.robitaille3@mass.gov

cell 781-675-0463

Personal Webex room: https://statema.webex.com/meet/Karen.Robitaille3