June 19, 2018

Dear Colleagues,

We are excited to welcome Ms. Alison Brill to the School Health Services Team as our new School Health Program Coordinator!  Alison joins Janet Burke and I in managing the services and oversight of the School Health Services Unit at the MDPH.  Alison has many years of experience as a Program Coordinator with the MDPH Suicide Prevention Program (so you may recognize her name if your school or district has worked with this program).  Her knowledge of departmental procedures, policies surrounding contract management and public health initiatives will serve us and our programs well!  Please join me in welcoming Alison to the team!  Her contact information is:  alison.brill@state.ma.us

This will be the final regular email update of this school year.  MDPH School Health Updates will be sent periodically over the summer months, and a “catch-up” one will be sent in late August with all the news you may have missed if you’re away over the summer months.  We know many of you will still be working in summer school programs….please remember that we are still here (unless we’re taking our vacation time as well!) over the summer months. Remember to register for the SHIELD Summer Institute – see the attached flyer – there are many exciting offerings to choose from at this Institute – and registration is limited!  Please invite your school teams to join us for these exciting programs! The Foundations of School Nursing Practice will again be held on July 9^th and 10^th at the DoubleTree Hotel in Westborough (please note the change in venue) and the training program for Mandated Screenings (vision, hearing, BMI and postural screenings) will be held on July 11^th at the DoubleTree.  SBIRT in Schools (6 hours) will also be offered this summer on July 12^th and again on August 23^rd (both at the DoubleTree in Westboro).

And finally, we hope everyone can find time over the summer months to Retreat, Relax, Reflect and Renew – wherever and however – you can do this best!

“The first responsibility of a leader is to define reality. The last is to say thank you.” ― Max DePree, author

Thank you for all you do,

Mary Ann, Janet and Alison

SCHOOL NURSES IN THE NEWS:
Congratulations to Jamy Gaynor, RN, school nurse in the Marlborough Public Schools, upon receiving her Ed.D from Regis College in May!  Well done, Dr. Gaynor!

YOUTH RISK BEHAVIOR SURVEILLANCE — UNITED STATES, 2017
Now available is the national results from the Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance (YRBS) study by Laura Kann, PhD; Tim McManus, MS; William A. Harris, MM; et al. Youth Risk Behavior Surveillance — United States, 2017   The YRBS  monitors six categories of priority health-related behaviors among youth and young adults. This report summarizes results from the 2017 national survey. CDC researchers found the number of high-school students who reported having had sex dropped from 48% in 2007 to 39.5% in 2017, while the number of those who had used illicit drugs declined from 23% to 14% during the same period, with both rates being the lowest since the annual survey of youth risk behavior started in 1991. The findings, published in the agency’s Morbidity and Mortality Weekly Report, also found fewer sexually active teens were using condoms.

2018 RURAL BEHAVIORAL HEALTH WEBINAR SERIES:  
The webinar series, supported by the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration, seeks to provide information and resources to address the needs and challenges of rural community behavioral health.
The Impact of the Opioid Epidemic on Children and Youth in Rural Communities- How Schools and Communities are Responding

Thursday, July 19, 2018, 3:00 P.M. – 4:30 P.M., Eastern 

REGIONAL CONSULTANT CONTACT INFORMATION: