Weekly Digest from NASN View as Webpage December 7, 2023 Registration Coming in 2024! The NASN Employment Center  Discover career opportunities and advice. Latest from NASN See more. Upcoming Events See more. Weekly Digest Archive  See past issues.   President's Message As the nation heads into winter, when COVID-19 cases have traditionally increased, the U.S. Department of Education recently announced the first federal initiative to provide free COVID-19 tests to all public schools. With the COVID-19 public health emergency officially expiring last May, it has become increasingly challenging for families and schools to obtain free COVID-19 tests. I recently had the opportunity to speak with Education Week about the initiative. By making testing more accessible, families will be encouraged to take necessary precautions, ultimately slowing the spread of COVID-19 during the winter months. Families may not be aware of programs to receive free tests or understand how to navigate the system to get tests. I’m excited to take part in this initiative at my school to be able to share these valuable safeguards with students, families, and staff who need them. Even small actions can significantly impact the health and well-being of those around us. Kate King, DNP, MS, RN, LSN NASN President Better Health. Better Learning.™   NASN News and Highlights Caring for Students With Mental Health Concerns School nurses play a pivotal role in the assessment, identification, intervention, referral, and follow-up of students with mental health concerns. School nurses are estimated to spend approximately 33% of their time addressing student mental health concerns. NASN's new NCPD learning module, Enhancing the Capacity of School Nurses to Reduce Student Anxiety, aims to help school nurses enhance their skills and knowledge to identify signs, symptoms, and various interventions to manage anxiety in the school setting. Free for NASN members! Paid advertisement Related Resources: NASN's Consensus Document, Elevating the Role of School Nurses in School-Based Mental and Behavioral Health NASN's no-cost NCPD program, Elevating the Role of School Nurses on School Behavioral Healthcare Teams New Issue of The Journal of School Nursing is Now Available The December issue of The Journal of School Nursing (JOSN) features several research articles and acknowledges reviewers for their service during the past year. Here are a few highlights: An Evaluation of Post-Concussion Return to School Guidelines: A Survey of Massachusetts School Nurses School Nurses’ Diabetes-Related Attitudes and Self-efficacy in Diabetes Education and Management Application of the Toxic Stress Schema: An Exemplar for School Nurses Partnering to Implement, Expand and Strengthen SLVs Vaccination rates remain low in the 5–11-year-old age group, particularly in Black and Hispanic racial/ethnic groups. The NCPD program, School-Located Vaccination (SLV): Role of School Nurses in Improving Student Vaccination, initially presented at Virtual NASN2022 and now in the NASN Learning Center, provides options for strengthening SLVs focusing on populations with low vaccination rates, methods to increase vaccine confidence, and actionable steps to partner with state or local health departments to implement or expand SLVs. Free for NASN members! Related Resources: View NASN's School-located Vaccination Position Statement. See the NASN School Nurse Supplement on School-Located Vaccination Clinics. Access free resources, including flyers, videos, and surveys, on NASN's Champions for School Health project page for information and inspiration to encourage vaccination in your school communities.   The following is a paid advertisement  School Vision Screening Made Simple - Introducing the Titmus Kaleidos We hear the same complaints from nurses about all hand-held vision screeners. Needing to turn off the lights, moving the unit back and forth, and fumbling with small devices. Now there is a solution… Learn About The Titmus Kaleidos   School Nurses in the News This section highlights news stories featuring NASN and school nurses. If you have a story about school nurses you'd like us to consider including, please send it to us. Thousands of Philly Students Typically Lack a School Nurse. Parents Changed That. (Source: inquirer.com) Roddy Named Nurse Administrator of the Year (Source: smithfieldtimes.com) School Nurses Facing Challenges Beyond Illnesses, Injuries (Source: spectrumlocalnews.com) Local Nurses Recognized for Excellence (Source: westnewsmagazine.com) Wood BOE Hears Pitch for Adding Nurse at PHS (Source: newsandsentinel.com) With Few Black Male Educators in Local Schools, a Push for More Diversity: ‘You Get Tired of Being the Only One’ (Source: inquirer.com) RCRTA Supports Elementary School Nurses (Source: greensburgdailynews.com)   Managing Chronic Health Conditions Supporting Youth With IDD in Their Health Care Transition The Center for Transition to Adult Health Care for Youth with Disabilities, a national center funded by the Administration for Community Living (ACL), has launched a new website to help young people and their families take the lead in health care transition. The accessible website was created by and for youth with intellectual and developmental disabilities (IDD). It features tools and resources for youth and their families and resources for health care professionals supporting these families through health care transition. Visit www.MovingToAdultHealthCare.org to learn more! Type 1 Diabetes Can’t Be Prevented – But It Can Be Detected Early A survey by the Diabetes Leadership Council (DLC) showed that nearly two-thirds of parents/caregivers are unaware that type 1 diabetes (T1D) can be identified before symptoms occur. There are several options for T1D autoantibody screening – all done through a blood test that families can discuss with their healthcare providers to learn which option may be right for them. Read more in the Press release from the DLC and educate your school communities on how T1D screening can help reduce life-threatening complications and improve outcomes. Related Resources: To learn more about T1D screening and access resources, visit gettingaheadoftype1.org NASN's Children with Diabetes page contains resources, including the Improving Care Coordination for Students with Chronic Health Conditions Toolkit, to assist school nurses in providing evidence-based quality care to students with T1D. CDC Releases School Mental Health Action Guide The Centers for Disease Control (CDC) released a school mental health action guide created to provide K-12 schools with actionable strategies to help improve the mental health of their students. This action guide is a direct response to recent Youth Risk Behavior Survey findings, which show that adolescent mental health has been worsening for more than a decade and that key indicators of poor mental health have reached alarming levels. Schools can promote positive behavioral and mental health and help reduce the need for services by providing education and early intervention strategies designed to reach many students.   Improving School Community & Student Health Self & Collective Attuning: Tending to Emotional Activation in These Acute Times Join the School Crisis Recovery and Renewal project and the Center for Adjustment, Resilience, and Recovery (CARRE) on December 12, 2023, from 2-4 PM ET for a special collaborative session to create space for service providers (based in schools or community) who want to engage the practice of attuning and attending to our emotional landscape as we witness institutionally sanctioned and unprecedented death and violence. Learn more and register. LEAHP Webinar: Take Action for Adolescents Join the Leadership Exchange for Adolescent Health (LEAHP) team in partnership with the Office of Population Affairs on Thursday, December 14, at 2 PM ET for a webinar on the recently launched Take Action for Adolescents – A Call to Action for Adolescent Health and Well-Being that aims to ensure that all adolescents in the United States have the safety, support, and resources they need to thrive, be healthy, and have an equitable opportunity to realize their full potential. Register for the webinar. Related Resources: The Call to Action provides a toolkit to guide its implementation. School-based Echo on Infection Prevention & Control Starts in January The American Academy of Pediatrics is recruiting school nurses, administrators, school medical directors, facilities staff, school health consultants, public health department staff, and other school staff involved in developing and implementing school infection prevention and control guidance to participate in the Infection Prevention and Control School-based Health ECHO to ensure the most up-to-date IPC protocol is in place to keep kids healthy during the school year. Preference will be given to individuals serving diverse and rural/underrepresented populations. Six 1-hour sessions will be hosted monthly at 4 PM EST on the following dates: January 31, February 28, March 20, April 24, May 29, and June 5. Register here. Please direct any questions to Alexis Katzenbach, ECHO Manager. HIMSS24: Creating Tomorrow’s Health NASN is excited to be a collaborator at HIMSS24 in Orlando from March 11 to 15, 2024, where you can connect, collaborate, and create with the brightest minds in health information and technology. Our members always receive the HIMSS member rate to attend. Early Bird discount pricing ends December 8. Learn more and register today!   Mark Your Calendar   Webinar: Self & Collective Attuning - Tending to Emotional Activation in These Acute Times December 12, 2023 Processing pain while witnessing violence & mourning loss as we provide care for the young people we serve. Learn more and register. Webinar: Take Action for Adolescents Dec 14, 2023 Join LEAHP to learn about the recently launched Take Action for Adolescents – A Call to Action for Adolescent Health and Well-Being. Learn more and register. HIMSS24: Global Conference & Exhibition March 11-15, 2024 Connect, collaborate, and create with the brightest minds in health information and technology. View registration instructions. 2024 NASN Election Election Dates: March 15 - April 15, 2024 (conducted online) Meet the candidates. Save the Dates In-Person: June 28-July 1, 2024 Virtual: July 8-10, 2024 Registration opens early next year! State Associations of School Nurses' Conferences Florida Association of School Nurses 28th Annual Conference - Reflect ♡ Refresh ♡ Refocus - February 2-3, 2024. Learn more and Register California School Nurses Organization 74th Annual Conference - Stay the Course Through Advocacy and Support - February 8-11, 2024. Learn more and Register Save the Date: Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses and Practitioners 2024 Annual Conference - March 22-24, 2024. Learn more. NASN Calendar of Events This calendar includes upcoming events hosted by NASN and NASN affiliate school nurse organizations. Access the calendar. NASN CALENDAR National Health Observances Calendar This calendar lists special days, weeks, or months dedicated to raising awareness about important health topics. Access the 2023 calendar. OBSERVANCES CALENDAR Acceptance of advertising on the top or bottom ad banner or other ad placements in this newsletter or resource information listed within in no way implies endorsement of advertised or listed products or services by NASN. No endorsement is intended or implied.   NASN | nasn.org National Association of School Nurses | 1100 Wayne Avenue, Suite 925, Silver Spring, MD 20910 Unsubscribe [email protected] Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]