Weekly Digest from NASN View as Webpage Weekly Digest NASN news & updates August 26, 2021 NASN News and Highlights See more. Upcoming Events See more. Weekly Digest Archive See past issues. Follow Us on Social ‌ ‌ ‌ President's Message Children with obesity are at higher risk for having chronic health conditions and diseases, such as asthma, sleep apnea, bone and joint problems, and Type 2 diabetes, according to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. In addition, they are at higher risk for heart disease than their peers who may be at a lower weight. September is National Childhood Obesity Month, and school nurses can play a major role in educating families about the dangers of obesity. The CDC offers a number of tools and resources you can use to help families in your schools. Linda Mendonça, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, NCSN, FNASN NASN President BETTER HEALTH. BETTER LEARNING. ™ NASN News and Highlights NASN Adopts Position Statement on Human Trafficking It is NASN's position that prevention, early identification, and intercession on behalf of the child/youth beset by human trafficking are essential to the student’s psychological and physical well-being, as well as academic success. The registered professional school nurse, utilizing astute clinical skills, is well-positioned to recognize signs and symptoms exhibited by a child/youth ensnared within the grooming/human trafficking process. Working in partnership with the school community, law enforcement, child protective services, community-based providers, and social services, the school nurse serves a pivotal role by increasing public awareness of human trafficking and assisting with developing protocols for intervention. POSITION STATEMENT Paid advertisement School Nurses Play a Role in Knowledge About Childhood Obesity Childhood obesity affects about 1 in 5 (19%) children in the United States, and some groups of children are more affected than others. September is National Childhood Obesity Awareness Month. School nurses can help enact policies and practices in the school that support healthy eating, regular physical activity, and limited screen time, and give students the opportunity to learn about and practice these behaviors. NASN Resources: School nurses have the knowledge, expertise, and skills to promote the prevention and reduction of overweight and obesity among children and adolescents in schools. Grounded by standards of practice within the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice™, school nurses can identify, assess, refer, and follow-up with children and adolescents who are at risk for health problems associated with overweight or obesity. Read the full NASN position statement on childhood obesity. See NASN's page on childhood obesity for more resources. 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. 13 Investigates dozens of Houston-area campuses without a school nurse (Source: ABC13.com) School Nurses Are in Short Supply During the Pandemic (Source: WYNCStudios.org) More school resources this year for students’ mental and emotional health (Source: KSL News Radio) Helping Nurses Develop Their "Superpowers" For Self-Care (Source: University of Virginia) Missouri School Nurses Take On Another Year With Coronavirus Around (Source: MissouriNet) COVID-19 Updates FDA Approval of Pfizer COVID-19 Vaccine The U.S. Food and Drug Administration (FDA) has approved the first COVID-19 vaccine. The vaccine has been known as the Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine and will now be marketed as Comirnaty (koe-mir’-na-tee), for the prevention of COVID-19 disease in individuals 16 years of age and older. Learn more. Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools CDC Guidance: Due to the circulating and highly contagious Delta variant, CDC recommends universal indoor masking by all students (age 2 and older), staff, teachers, and visitors to K-12 schools, regardless of vaccination status. Learn more at Guidance for COVID-19 Prevention in K-12 Schools Promoting School Nurses as Leaders in Reopening Schools The National Association of State Boards of Education (NASBE) published a resource for school nurse advocacy titled “Promoting School Nurses as Leaders in Reopening Schools. Learn more about leveraging federal funds for school health services. 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. Back-to-School Safety During COVID-19: Tips for Families, Guardians, and Caretakers Social isolation and school closures have added a lot of stress to children’s lives. Caregivers can help them cope and keep them S.A.F.E. through SUPPORT, ACTION, FACTS, and ENGAGEMENT. Share this new resource created by the Association for Professionals in Infection Control and Epidemiology and NASN. Indoor Air Quality and COVID: Best Practices for School Nurses The Mid-Atlantic Center for Children's Health and the Environment presents "Indoor Air Quality, COVID and school nurses." This one-hour pre-recorded webinar helps school nurses know the six steps of Indoor Air Quality and resources to address environmental issues during COVID and beyond. One CNE provided. Watch anytime; access the webinar here. 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 A Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses: Survey from ANA ANA has heard from over 10,000 nurses on each of our previous surveys on Mental Health and Wellness. Please take 5 minutes to fill out this brief survey on nurse well-being. You do not need to be a member in a professional organization to participate. We encourage you to forward this survey to other nurse colleagues. TAKE SURVEY “Catch Up and Go Back to School” Resource Page The Alliance for a Healthier Generation has a new resource page, “Catch up and Go Back to School” to support students receiving their routine immunizations. LEARN MORE Apply Now for $750 in Funding for Food Allergy Education FARE is offering awards of up to $750 to schools and nonprofit organizations serving Title 1/Title-1-eligible students/schools. The funds can be used for food allergy education and training during the 2021 back-to-school season and may include: purchasing food allergy-focused books, education materials and/or non-food giveaways; purchasing food allergy-related materials or items specifically for the cafeteria or health office; and training staff, with a focus on responding to an allergic reaction and inclusion of students with food allergies in all activities. Applications are reviewed on a rolling basis. Learn more and apply here. Opportunities & Networking Submit Your Abstract Now for NASN2022! The NASN2022 Oral and Poster abstract submission form is officially open. If you have an abstract for a breakout, workshop, preconference, general or poster session, please consider submitting it. The deadline is October 11, 2021. Begin with the call for abstract submission details on NASN.org. NASN looks forward to receiving a diverse group of submissions to fill out the conference schedule. Mark Your Calendar The Future of Healthy Schools: Supportive Funding, Systems Change, and Community Collaboration 1 p.m. EDT Monday, August 30 Kaiser Permanente’s Institute for Health Policy and the Thriving Schools Initiative are hosting a virtual event focused on building and supporting healthy schools. At this event, Dr. Deborah Temkin of Child Trends will unveil her latest report that shows how the U.S. federal government currently defines, funds, supports, inhibits, and holds accountable school health programs. Register now Briefing for Nurses: Report on the Just Transition Listening Project 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday, September 7 As the recent report of the Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change emphasizes, we need to swiftly transition to clean and renewable energy to limit climate impacts. Join the webinar to learn more about how nurses can support a just transition framework as they engage on climate solutions, what kinds of health, mental health and behavioral health issues might be expected, and what supports should be in place to keep workers and community healthy and secure during and after the transition? Register now The Continued Role of Hand Hygiene and Cleaning and Disinfection in Schools 1 p.m. EDT Thursday, September 9 The American Cleaning Institute (ACI) is hosting a webinar to discuss best practices and key disease prevention strategies for school administrators, teachers, and parents and caregivers to keep students, staff, and school communities healthy. Register now 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 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 | Constant Contact Data Notice Sent by [email protected]