Weekly Digest from NASN View as Webpage Weekly Digest NASN news & updates September 2, 2021 NASN News and Highlights See more. Upcoming Events See more. Weekly Digest Archive See past issues. Follow Us on Social ‌ ‌ ‌ President's Message On Wednesday, September 1, Representative Dina Titus of Nevada’s First Congressional District urged Congressional leadership to include the Nurses for Under-Resourced Schools Everywhere (NURSE) Act in the budget reconciliation package, legislation introduced by Rep. Titus, which would help K-12 schools hire more full-time nurses. Funding for school nurses is an equity issue. School nurses serve as a critical health hub for students; managing complex chronic conditions; identifying and addressing mental health issues; leveling the field on health disparities and promoting health behaviors; connecting families to healthcare providers and community resources; and now, during the COVID-19 pandemic, testing, tracking and vaccinating students and school personnel. Passing the NURSE Act is essential for supporting our nation’s children. Linda Mendonça, DNP, RN, PHNA-BC, NCSN, FNASN NASN President BETTER HEALTH. BETTER LEARNING. ™ NASN News and Highlights CDC Epilepsy Program Awards $1.5 Million to NASN NASN has been selected by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) as a funding recipient under a new five-year cooperative agreement: Improving Epilepsy Education Systems of Care, and Health Outcomes through National and Community Partnerships. First-year funding is $300,000. NASN’s work will focus on educating school nurses about epilepsy, seizure first aid, and epilepsy stigma to create a multi-tiered system of support within the school community for students with epilepsy; and developing multi-sector partnerships with underutilized community resources to address the social needs of persons with epilepsy. LEARN MORE Paid advertisement New: Evidence-Based Guideline on Medication Administration Available NASN recently launched the Evidence-Based Clinical Practice Guideline: Medication Administration in Schools to create a uniform practice guideline for the administration of medication in schools. An accompanying toolkit to support the implementation of the guideline will be available soon. Implementation of this guideline will improve the structure, processes, and outcomes of medication administration in schools, including: Decrease in medication errors Adoption of standardized reporting of medication errors Strengthening of security measures and resources Increase in annual medication audits across school systems Increase in the adoption of Fair and Just Culture, and Adoption of medication reconciliation practices. DOWNLOAD THE GUIDELINES ANA Survey Takes Pulse on the Nation’s Nurses ANA has heard from over 10,000 nurses on each of their previous surveys on mental health and wellness. Please fill out this brief survey on nurse well-being. You don’t need to be a member in a professional organization to participate. We encourage you to forward to your colleagues. SURVEY 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. Letter to the Editor: Hiring nurses was right decision (Source: Blue Ridge Now) 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 DASH Back-to-School Toolkit Back-to-school time is here and students need our support as they return to school. To make this season as successful as possible, the Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) produced new tools and resources for school staff to help students thrive as they head back into classrooms. You can access graphics, social media posts, Five Things Schools Can Do Now to Support Students As They Return to School, the Health Education Curriculum Analysis Tool (HECAT), classroom management strategies, LGBTQ Inclusivity in Schools: A Self-Assessment Tool, and more in the toolkit. New CDC Toolkit for Testing in Schools CDC has updated guidance and resources in this toolkit, including materials that school nurses can use to teach parents, students, and staff about school testing programs and encourage participation. Many of these materials are customizable and can be adapted according to the school’s needs. New CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Booster Shot The Department of Health and Human Services (HHS) announced a plan to begin offering COVID-19 vaccine booster shots this fall. The CDC’s Advisory Committee on Immunization Practices will make further recommendations for the public, including school staff, soon. Immunocompromised adults are already recommended to receive a booster. Learn more. NEW COVID-19 Resources Back-to-School Safety During COVID-19: Tips for Families, Guardians, and Caretakers Care Coordination for Youth & Young Adults with Spina Bifida in Health Care Transition 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. Data Sharing on COVID-19 Cases in Children The American Academy of Pediatrics and the Children’s Hospital Association are collaborating to collect and share all publicly available data from states on child COVID-19 cases (definition of “child” case is based on varying age ranges reported across states). Learn more 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. 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 September is Children’s Cardiomyopathy Awareness Month Pediatric cardiomyopathy is a chronic disease affecting the heart’s ability to pump blood. The disease can present in different forms and may, in severe cases, lead to heart failure and/or sudden death. NASN Resources: See NASN's Collaboration to Support Students with Chronic Health Conditions webpage for more resources Updated Vision Screening Guidance School vision screening is one of many services that is an essential service to eliminate poor vision and eye health problems as a barrier to academic and classroom success. The document: Vision Screening Considerations During the Coronavirus Disease 2019 (COVID-19) Pandemic for Schools, Head Start and Early Care and Education Programs has been updated, along with FAQ for Vision Screening Considerations. “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 Managing Chronic Health Conditions Evidence-Based Practice Manual on Case Management Now Online At its core, school nurse-led case management (SNLCM) involves the highest form of application of the nursing process. While the focus is on students with chronic health conditions, SNLCM can also be applied to various social, mental, and acute health concerns of individual students or the student population as a whole. A Model for School Nurse-Led Case Management, developed in response to requests from the field, is now online. LEARN MORE Opportunities & Networking Next Meet the Editor Bimonthly Web Meeting: September 21 The Journal of School Nursing Editor, Dr. Martha Dewey Bergen, will provide tips for authors and will field comments and questions from aspiring authors during the Meet the Editor interactive web meeting. Learners will be able to describe who qualifies for authorship on a manuscript and explain guidelines for listing the order of a manuscript’s authors. SEATING IS LIMITED to the first 100 slots! Join us at 3:30 p.m. EST on September 21, 2021. Mark Your Calendar Briefing for Nurses: Report on the Just Transition Listening Project 3 p.m. EDT Tuesday, September 7 This webinar will discuss 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 Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence - Fall 2021 Webinar Series 4 p.m. EDT Wednesday, September 22 There are helpful emotion regulation strategies that you can use as a nurse to live a healthier life at work and at home. Join the Yale Center for Emotional Intelligence for the fall webinar series for nurses on managing emotions. 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. 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