Weekly Digest

NASN news & updates

August 5, 2021

President's Message

Routine childhood vaccinations are an important way to ensure that the school community remains healthy and protected against serious diseases. August is National Immunization Awareness Month.

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has resources you can use to get the message out to your entire school community, whether through social media, newsletters, or print-out PDFs.

NASN also has a page on our website about immunizations with additional materials, including toolkits, template letters, and more.

Linda Mendonça, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, NCSN, FNASN

NASN President

BETTER HEALTH. BETTER LEARNING. ™

NASN News and Highlights

COVID-19 Town Hall Recording from NASN, CDC Now Available

NASN and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently hosted a Town Hall that features an overview of the CDC’s guidance for COVID-19 prevention in K-12 schools. There is a question-and-answer session with panelists and attendees at the end. There is no cost for this learning activity and no CNE contact hours will be awarded. You can watch the on-demand recording at any time.

ON-DEMAND RECORDING

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JOSN August 2021 Podcast Is Available

The JOSN August 2021 Podcast is now available online on the JOSN podcast page and on the journal's homepage. You can read the featured article complimentary for 60 days.

Data Collection/Every Student Counts! and COVID-19

Data collection looks different due to the COVID-19 pandemic compared to other years. Check out NASN’s Data Collection page for resources and advice on collecting data to help tell your data story.

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.

Kingdom East’s Sophia Hall: At Decision-Making Table For Safe Schools Re-opening (Source: The Caledonian-Record)

COVID-19 Updates

CDC Updates COVID-19 Guidance for K-12 Schools

Today the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) updated the Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools to align with CDC’s existing guidance for fully vaccinated people and assist K-12 schools in opening for in-person instruction and remaining open. Additionally, the Considerations for Case Investigation and Contact Tracing in K-12 Schools and Institutions of Higher Education (IHEs) has been updated to align with new CDC guidance.

New: COVID-19 Vaccine Equity for Racial and Ethnic Minority Groups

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) is committed to COVID-19 vaccine equity, which is when everyone has fair and just access to COVID-19 vaccination.

LEARN MORE

NEW COVID-19 Resources

New Return to School Guidance from AAP. As the next school year begins, there needs to be a continued focus on keeping students safe and in school.
New CDC Guidance for K-12 Schools: Strategies to reduce the spread on COVID-19 in schools and maintain safe operations includes an updated science brief for the transmission of SARS-CoV-2 in schools.
CDC COVID-19 Viral Testing Tool is an interactive web tool designed to help both healthcare providers and individuals understand COVID-19 testing options.

Additional COVID-19 Resources

NASN's COVID-19 Interactive Tools

Can I Send My Student to School: Designed for school nurses to share with families, this interactive tool is based on CDC COVID-19 guidance and designed to guide families through assessing when their child should stay home from school.

How to Manage Difficult Conversations: A quick micro-burst of learning, this interactive module teaches school nurses a simple formula to use to respond effectively to challenging conversations.

COVID-19 and Students, Frequently Asked Questions: A resource designed to answer some questions families may have about students' health during COVID-19 and to support families with links to find additional resources.

Improving School Community and Student Health

School Nurse Tip Sheet: Enhancing Staff and Teacher Well-Being

Staff and teachers’ wellbeing is important as schools transition back to in-person learning. Kaiser Permanente has collaborated with over 30 national school health organizations to create the “Planning for the Next Normal at School: Keeping Students, Staff, and Families Safe and Healthy” playbook, which provides evidence-based guidance to adapt to school life after the COVID-19 pandemic.

LEARN MORE

Monitoring School COVID-19 Prevention Strategies Project Results

The CDC Foundation and Deloitte created the Monitoring School COVID-19 Prevention Strategies project. The project collected data on the K-12 community that focuses on the effects of COVID-19 on the mental, social, emotional, and academic health.

LEARN MORE

ACI, CDC Debut Website for Healthy Schools, Healthy People

Healthy Schools, Healthy People is a joint initiative between the American Cleaning Institute (ACI) and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC), dedicated to supporting school systems nationwide with tools to help reinforce hand hygiene and cleaning practices to prevent illness. The new website features resources for educators, school nurses, administrators, parents and students. The redesign also includes interactive games, a newsletter, webinar program, and dedicated social media.

NASN Resources: See “Washing Your Hands” from NASN’s Return to School video series.

Opportunities & Networking

The Future of Nursing 2020-2030 Twitter Chats

On August 10, 2021, the National Academy of Medicine’s Future of Nursing program will host two Twitter chats to engage with health care professionals and other relevant collaborators to hear perspectives on implementing the recommendations from the Future of Nursing 2020-2030: Charting a Path to Achieve Health Equity report in key areas, such as reducing practice barriers for nurses, advocating for nurses' well-being, and diversifying the nursing workforce. Save the date to join conversations from 12-1 p.m. EST and 9-10 p.m. EST Tuesday, August 10!

Twitter Chat to Focus on School-Centered Approach to School Safety

The REMS TA Center is launching a new #ChatWithAnExpert Twitter series that allows practitioners within various school safety roles on Twitter to gain insight from different perspectives. Join NASN on the chat at 3 p.m. EST Friday, August 13. Search for #ChatWithAnExpert on Twitter or follow NASN @schoolnurses.

Mark Your Calendar

Understanding the Role of School Nurses in

Supporting School Safety Before, During, and After an Emergency

2 p.m. EST Tuesday, August 10, 2021

Learn about the role school nurses have in supporting overall school safety, security, emergency management, and preparedness before, during, and after an emergency.

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 2021 calendar.

OBSERVANCES CALENDAR

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