Weekly Digest from NASN View as Webpage July 25, 2024   Earn Your NCPD Assess and Evaluate: In-Person sessions Virtual sessions Posters Find NASN Members With Mutual Interests Enroll in a Special Interest Group (SIG) Latest from NASN See more. Upcoming Events See more. Weekly Digest Archive See past issues. President's Message This National Minority Mental Health Awareness Month, the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) Office of Minority Health (OMH) is focusing on improving mental health outcomes for racial and ethnic minority and American Indian/Alaska Native (AI/AN) populations through its 2024 theme, Be the Source for Better Health: Improving Health Outcomes Through Our Cultures, Communities, and Connections, calling on each of us to better understand how social determinants of health (SDOH) impact mental health. NASN believes that healthy and safe communities are essential for the optimal health, wellbeing, academic success, and lifelong achievement of all school-age youth. School nurses are indispensable partners in improving and enhancing school and community health by effectively collaborating across sectors to address barriers to health and learning and improve health processes and outcomes. Learn about the SDOH factors that can have lasting effects on racial and ethnic minority and AI/AN children and adolescents with OMH's infographic and explore NASN's mental health resources to support upstream approaches to improving students' mental wellbeing. Kate King, DNP, MS, RN, LSN NASN President Better Health. Better Learning.™   NASN News and Highlights Addressing Chronic Absenteeism Last week, NASN attended "Coming Together on Chronic Absenteeism." The discussion focused on the urgent need to tackle chronic absenteeism. As school nurses, you are integral school team members in supporting student attendance. In this recent NASN School Nurse article, the authors address frequently asked questions about student attendance, including excused and unexcused absences, truancy, parent/guardian engagement, and related laws, recognizing your integral part in this process. Paid advertisement How the U.S. Constitution Impacts School Nursing Practice The Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA) are commonly referenced in school nursing, yet many other legal parameters affect school nurses and their ability to safeguard their license, students, and school community. Listen to the July NASN podcast, "The United States Constitution: Legal Literacy and School Nursing." Related Resources: A firm understanding of NASN's School Nursing: Scope and Standards of Practice, 4th Edition, is key to avoiding violating students' constitutional rights. Get your copy and special member pricing in the NASN bookstore. Not yet a NASN member? Learn More About All the Benefits of Membership & Join the Nearly 20,000 School Nurse Members Today! Career Resources in the NASN Employment Center The NASN Employment Center allows you to browse job postings and offers several career advice articles and services. And if you're a NASN member, you can sign up for the Employment Center Job Flash to have job postings delivered to your inbox. Are you an employer looking to find top industry talent at its source? The NASN Employment Center has upgrades available to ensure your job ad gets prime placement on and off the job board. Learn more.   The following are paid advertisements   A K-12 EHR System Made By School Nurses, For School Nurses Empower school nurses, mental health providers, and administrators with a comprehensive school health management solution. Explore Frontline School Health Management   Interactive Evidence-Based Education from Child Maltreatment Experts Featuring Collaborative Role of the Nurse Interactive case studies Identification & management of all aspects of physical abuse (bruising, skeletal, head trauma, sentinel injuries, and more) Learn more   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. Martinez Honored as Nurse of the Year (Source: oaoa.com) Student Bodies and Minds (Source: oregonbusiness.com) Associate Nursing Professor Receives Grant (Source: uncw.edu) Athens School District’s Meredith Dykes Named Georgia School Nurse of the Year (Source: winchesterstar.com.com) SFUSD Admin Behind Bay Area’s Only School Nurse Credentialing Program Adds Pickleball Pro to Her Resumé (Source: ktlo.com) Clarke County’s Champion of Care: Meredith Dykes Named School Nurse of the Year (Source: redandblack.com)   Managing Chronic Health Conditions Effectively and Safely Addressing Seizures and Epilepsy in Schools School nurses have the potential to significantly improve the health and quality of life for children with epilepsy and their families through improved seizure management. NASN's School Nurse Epilepsy Clinical Practice Guidelines and Toolkit Training is available at no cost to assist school nurses in providing high-quality care and improving the health and safety of students with epilepsy. Participants will be able to: Identify evidence-based practices in caring for students with epilepsy and seizures. Describe how to utilize the toolkit in daily school nurse practice. Identify a plan for implementing the CPG recommendations and toolkit resources in the upcoming school year. Related Resources: Mental Health Challenges for Students with Epilepsy: Practice Considerations for School Nurses (1.0 NCPD) Epilepsy Care Considerations for School Nurses: Stigma and Sudden Unexplained Death in Epilepsy (SUDEP) (1.0 NCPD) Partnering Effectively for Chronic Condition Management in Schools Chronic health conditions affect more than 14 million school-aged youth (almost 20% of the school-aged population), with approximately half of these being moderate or severe. The American Academy of Pediatrics (AAP) free online educational course Partnering Effectively for Chronic Condition Management in Schools provides school health professionals and pediatric health care providers with the knowledge and skills to partner effectively with each other and with families to foster better health and academic outcomes for children with chronic health conditions. Register for the course. Related Resources: NASN's no-cost Improving Care Coordination for Students with Chronic Health Conditions Toolkit   Improving School Community & Student Health New AAP Learning Burst: Care Coordination and Schools 101 The AAP Learning Burst Library consists of brief trainings intended to provide an opportunity for school health staff and related health professionals to review and discuss school health topics such as HIPAA/FERPA, culturally effective health care, chronic absenteeism, and more. This new learning burst, Care Coordination and Schools 101, defines care coordination, explains the benefits, and describes the roles of key players in care coordination in schools. Related Resources: Care Coordination is a fundamental principle of school nursing practice, and it overlaps with the other principles of NASN's School Nursing Practice Framework™. Be Present, Be Powerful! Mark Your Calendar for AAC Webinar 3 Join Attendance Works and Attendance Awareness Campaign (AAC) partners for the next webinar, Creating a Culture of Belonging and Engagement: Principals In Action, on August 7 at 3 PM ET. Speakers will explore how we can use the transition to school in the fall to nurture engagement, nourish relationships, and cultivate a routine of attendance. And Attendance Works will reveal a new resource! Strengthening Kindergarten Vaccination Coverage CDC data show that vaccination coverage among kindergarteners has declined to its lowest level in decades. A recent uptick in global and domestic measles cases and outbreaks underscores that under and unvaccinated children are at risk for serious illness. School nurses are strongly positioned to educate school communities about the critical role vaccines play in preventing disease, allowing students and staff to remain healthy and in school. You can check out and use CDC's resources on the Let's RISE Initiative webpage to help share facts about routine vaccines and expand access. Related Resources: NASN's NCPD Program Immunization 101: A primer on school-recommended vaccinations is free for NASN members!   Mark Your Calendar   Deadline to Earn NCPD for Both In-Person and Virtual NASN2024 October 11 NASN encourages you to evaluate activities while the information is fresh in your mind. Steps to receive NCPD contact hours. State Associations of School Nurses' Conferences Vermont State School Nurses Association 41st Annual Conference for School Nurses - Connecting and Collaborating - August 5-7, 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 2024 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 US Unsubscribe | Update Profile | Constant Contact Data Notice