Weekly Digest from NASN View as Webpage Weekly Digest NASN news & updates July 23, 2020 NASN Membership Benefits See more. NASN News and Highlights See more. Upcoming Events See more. Weekly Digest Archive See past issues. Follow Us on Social ‌ ‌ ‌ ‌ President's Message America’s school nurses, just like America’s teachers, students and parents, want to return to school. Children want to see their friends, teachers want to see their students, and nurses want to reintegrate with their school communities. However, none of that is possible without robust federal investment, and reliance on accurate public health data. NASN, along with other health and education leaders, sent a letter to Senate leaders demanding they appropriately fund any return-to-school plan requesting a minimum of $208 billion, and provide maximum flexibility for school districts and schools to prioritize investments that will enable environments where students are able to learn and students and staff are healthy and safe. See some of the materials created for a safer return to school: Press Release Letter to U.S. Senate Leaders Template Letter You Can Send to Your Representatives Laurie Combe, MN, RN, NCSN NASN President BETTER HEALTH. BETTER LEARNING. ™ NASN News and Highlights NASN Releases Safer Return to School Statement, Calls for $208B in Funding for Return to School NASN convened a coalition of health, public health and education organizations to inform safer school reopening. As a result, a letter requesting funding for a safer return to school was sent to Senator McConnell and Senator Schumer. Read NASN's letter. NASN's Safer Return to School Statement NASN promotes a decision-making process for a safer return to in-person learning that is based on accurate public health data at the national, state and local levels. The safety of students and staff must take priority in this decision-making. A safer return to schools, one in which students, families and staff will feel confident, requires that prior to a return to in-person learning, schools develop and implement infectious disease readiness and emergency management procedures for students and staff, based on current public health guidance and in which sufficient funding is allocated for the implementation of sanitation and safety protocols, including personal protective equipment (PPE) and the hiring/retention of school nurses to coordinate health and safety procedures. NASN School Nurse Chat: Taking Your Seat at the Table! NASN Executive Director Donna Mazyck and NASN Nursing Education & Practice Specialist/Lead Nurse Conference Planner Jade Bland-Slaffey speak with Virtual NASN2020 Closing Keynote Speaker Liz Dozier about the power of the school nurse’s voice and how to make your seat at the table count. LISTEN TO THE PODCAST Advertisement School Nurses in the News NASN and school nurses have been widely represented in the news media over the past few months and we are now including a section in the Weekly Digest to highlight some of those stories twice a month. If you have a story about school nurses you'd like us to consider including, please send it to us. Reopening plans amid pandemic shine light on Florida's school nursing shortage (Source: ABC Action News Tampa Bay) School nurses advocating for strict precautions as school year gets closer (Source: Click2Houston.com) COVID-19 Updates Resources Guidance for Healthcare Personnel on the Use of PPE in Schools During COVID-19 Are Schools Prepared for Another COVID Outbreak The Valuable Role of School Nurses During COVID-19 Multisystem Inflammatory Syndrome in Children Associated with Coronavirus Disease 2019 Schools Reopening Decision Tool  Guidelines for Opening Up America Again NASN Releases New Resources To support school nurses in responding to the COVID-19 pandemic, NASN has released three new resources. The first document, Guidance for Healthcare Personnel on the Use of Personal Protective Equipment (PPE) in Schools During COVID-19, addresses specific types of PPE and its use. The next, provides Considerations for School Nurses in Planning for Students with Disabilities and Special Healthcare Needs in the Return to School. In addition, NASN has created two infographics, based on its survey of school nurse activities during the COVID-19 pandemic, that outline school nurse activities during the spring semester, and how prepared schools are for another outbreak in the fall: Are Schools Prepared for Another COVID Outbreak The Valuable Role of School Nurses During COVID-19 COVID Vaccine Resource A resource for school nurses to monitor updates on vaccines for COVID-19 is available at the Vaccine Education Center (VEC) at Children’s Hospital of Philadelphia. CovidVaccineAnswers.org points to a page on the VEC site where school nurses can get answers or submit questions. Managing Chronic Health Conditions August is National Immunization Awareness Month It is critical during the COVID-19 pandemic to ensure routine vaccination is maintained to protect people of all ages -- in particular those with underlying chronic health conditions - against vaccine-preventable diseases. Check out CDC’s NIAM digital communication toolkits. Share these messages and resources throughout the month of August using hashtag #ivax2protect. CDC will also be hosting an Instagram Q&A event for parents on August 24 from 12-2 p.m. ET to answer questions about the importance of maintaining routine immunization during the COVID-19 pandemic. NASN Resources: Check out NASN's information on immunizations, including our position statement. Improving School Community and Student Health The Planning for the Next Normal at School Playbook Available Planning for the Next Normal at School: Keeping students, staff, teachers, and families safe and healthy playbook, is now live on the Thriving Schools Website. This playbook, developed in partnership with over 30 trusted school health organizations, offers school and district leaders with five “starter” plays, or practical strategies and actionable steps per chapter, to address the dimensions of health that are critical for effective teaching and learning in an in-person, virtual, or hybrid environment. The Planning for the Next Normal at School playbook, includes curated tools, resources, and helpful links to implement starter plays in five key areas: mental health and well-being; COVID-19 prevention; physical activity and physical education; social drivers of health (food and housing security) staff and teacher well-being. Attendance Works Kicks Off 2020 Campaign Attendance Works is kicking off the 2020 Attendance Awareness Campaign. Their theme “Present, Engaged and Supported” recognizes that strong, trusting relationships that create belonging are fundamental to improving student attendance and participation. Hear from practitioners about preparing for the return to school, whether learning takes place in-person, virtually or in some other form. LEARN MORE Mark Your Calendar An In-Depth Look at Expanding School-Based Medicaid Programs 1 PM CT July 28, 2020 Since the 2014 reversal of the free care policy, 13 states have expanded their school-based Medicaid programs and have—or are projected to—significantly increase their federal revenue. Increasing access to and resources for critical health services in schools is more important than ever. This webinar will provide an in-depth look at trends in expanding school-based Medicaid programs, including detailed information about how states have successfully structured their programs. Presenters from Colorado and Michigan will share how they expanded and are implementing their programs and highlight key decisions they made along the way. MEDICAID Beyond FERPA: How to Find State Laws and District Policies on Student Data Privacy 2 PM ET August 5, 2020 The National School Health Data Set invites nurses to submit data that is de-identified in accordance with law and school district policy. This webinar provides an overview of the National School Health Data Set and briefly reviews applicable federal privacy law. We will then explore resources for finding summaries of state privacy laws, as well as questions that nurses can ask to find district data privacy policies. The webinar will also review a checklist that is designed to assist school nurses with identifying and complying with state and district data privacy policies. BEYOND FERPA Considerations and Guidance for Schools: Hand Hygiene, Cleaning and Disinfection for Reopening 4 PM ET August 5, 2020 Join the American Cleaning Institute and experts from the Centers for Disease Control (CDC) for a webinar designed to help school nurses and administrators develop their school plan, taking into consideration the vital role of hand hygiene, as well as cleaning and disinfecting, in helping to prevent the transmission of COVID-19 within school communities. Get resources and recommendations from the CDC on preparing for K-12 school reopening and operations during the COVID-19 pandemic and use this opportunity to ask questions. CLEANING 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 2020 calendar. OBSERVANCES CALENDAR Acceptance of advertising on the ad banner 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 | About our service provider Sent by [email protected]