12/7 MDPH School Health Unit Update: Phase 1 BINAX ; training registration

Greetings from the School Health Unit!

We will hold our first session of a train-the-trainer for administration of the BinaxNOW rapid antigen test this coming Friday, December 11 from 1-3 pm.  Our first session will be capped at 15 participants, and ONLY those School Nurses who have their BinaxNOW test kits may participate.  If you are able, you may participate with a nursing colleague so you can practice swabbing one another.  This will require that you have the appropriate PPE available, we will have you “don” your PPE to conduct swabbing, perform the swab and BinaxNOW test and then “doff” your PPE.  You may also choose to demonstrate anterior nasal swabbing on yourself as an alternative.

The training will consist of an approximately 30 minute presentation by Abbott staff, followed by an anterior nasal swabbing demonstration by the MDPH Bureau of Infectious Disease and Laboratory Sciences Sr. Public Health Nursing Advisor, and concluding with school nurses performing an anterior nasal swab return demonstration and performing the point of care test with the BinaxNOW card.  Please allow for the full scheduled time period of the training.

You can register for Friday’s session here:
https://bostonu.zoom.us/meeting/register/tJUvfuuvrDkqGNAojA67GL9Wzz5UOT-NvN9V

Your school/district will be double-checked against the list of districts who have been shipped test kits, and you will be unregistered if that list shows you have not yet been shipped test kits.

Thank you for your attention to this matter and please stay tuned for the release of future training dates soon.

Karen
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.robitaille2@state.ma.us
cell 781-675-0463
Personal Webex room: https://statema.webex.com/meet/Karen.Robitaille3