Weekly Digest

NASN news & updates

February 17, 2022

President's Message

Comprehensive health education should begin upon entry into school, continue through grade 12, and be inclusive and equitable. National Health Education standards provide a framework for schools to use to facilitate the mastery of knowledge and skills regarding health topics and promote healthy behaviors and outcomes for school-age youth (CDC, 2018).

The NASN Board of Directors recently approved the Comprehensive Health Education in Schools Position Statement. Read more about the position statement below.

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

NASN President

BETTER HEALTH. BETTER LEARNING. ™

NASN News and Highlights

NASN Position Statement: Comprehensive Health Education in Schools

It is the position of NASN that a comprehensive, developmentally appropriate, and evidence-based health education program be implemented for all students. NASN recognizes the vital role of parents and families as an integral source of health education. The registered school nurse is a valuable resource to parents and educators. NASN supports the implementation of comprehensive health education that promotes healthy development for all students.

READ THE STATEMENT

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Mindfulness Moments Available in Healthy School Nurse Community

Are you feeling stressed lately? Have you visited the Healthy School Nurse Community in SchoolNurseNet? NASN has developed a new resource with mindfulness moments which are being released each week in February 2022. Make yourself a priority, participate in the moments, and share with your school nurse colleagues.

CDC Healthy Partner Schools Toolkit Featuring NASN Resources

Check out the resources created by organizations funded through the National Collaboration to Promote Health, Wellness, and Academic Success of School-Age Children (CDC-RFA-DP16-1601), including NASN. Topics include physical education and physical activity, school nutrition environment and services, out-of-school-time, healthy eating and physical activity, and school health services.

GET THE TOOLKIT

NASN 2022 Registration Opening Soon

NASN’s 54th Annual School Nurse Conference will offer two separate learning events in 2022 to meet the needs of all school nurses, amid pandemic health, travel, and economic concerns. You will have 3 registration options! You may choose to attend in-person, online, or both!

IN-PERSON NASN2022: June 28 – 30, 2022 in Atlanta, Georgia (Pre-conference optional June 27th)
VIRTUAL NASN2022: July 11 – 13, 2022 (Online)
NASN2022 BUNDLE: Includes options #1 & #2

Check Out the NASN Website Refresh

NASN's refresh goal was to improve your experience on our website by making the things you need easier to locate. Here are some of the changes.

We have also "folded" SchoolNurseNet into the NASN.org site. The SchoolNurseNet menu option takes you to all things related to the online communities. There are numerous other changes including quick access to our most popular content right on the home page so be sure to scroll all the way down!

Please share your feedback with us on Facebook and Twitter!

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.

Hopkins School District nurses stand strong during the pandemic (Source: Sun Current)
School nurses talk toll of the pandemic, changes in their roles over last two years (Source: 11 Alive)
Laredo schools report no nurse shortages but burnout (Source: LMTonline)
Edinburg school board adjusts nurse salary scale (Source: MyRGV News)
Does your kid’s school have a nurse? (Source: Mountain News wymt)

COVID-19 Updates

Kaiser Permanente Thriving Schools - NEW VIDEO: Vaccine Confidence

Kaiser Permanente's Thriving Schools team recently released their latest COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence video. This video shows parents, a pediatrician, and school personnel underscoring the importance of getting vaccinated to keep our schools healthy and safe. This video is part of the COVID-19 Vaccine page for schools, districts, and community partners, offering information and resources on the safety and effectiveness of the COVID-19 vaccine for children.

COVID-19 Action Initiative Virtual Roundtable: Increasing Vaccination Rates for Youth and Adolescents

The American Lung Association convened a roundtable to develop a resource for healthcare professionals to increase vaccination rates for youth. Individual community leaders must empower their trusted messengers, including school nurses, with effective messages to overcome barriers to vaccination in their communities and advocate for policies for infrastructure to deliver vaccines in varied settings like schools and community centers. Learn more.

CDC COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence and New Testing Guidance

Strong confidence in COVID-19 vaccines within communities leads to more adults, adolescents, and children getting vaccinated ― which leads to fewer COVID-19 illnesses, hospitalizations, and deaths. Learn more about how schools can increase vaccine confidence and check out the reports and resources here.

The CDC has updated testing guidance and resources for testing, including new print resources. Learn more.

COVID-19 Upcoming Events

#VaxAmbassador Training: Best Practices for Community Outreach

Join the #VaxAmbassador program training on Thursday, March 3 from 7-8 p.m. ET to learn how to initiate and engage in effective conversations about the COVID-19 vaccines in your online communities. Talking to friends and family is one of the best ways to help our communities get the information they need to plan to get themselves or their families vaccinated.

Webinar: COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Bootcamp

Hosted by NASN and the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) on Wednesday, March 9, 2022, from 4 p.m. - 6 p.m. ET. This two-hour webinar is intended for school nurses and staff who are tasked with building COVID-19 vaccine confidence and increasing vaccine demand and will provide:

An update of the state of COVID-19 vaccine confidence in the United States
An overview of vaccine confidence concepts
Tips for building vaccine confidence in schools
Promising practices from school nurses with success addressing COVID-19 vaccine confidence and increasing vaccine demand
Facilitated breakout sessions to brainstorm strategies for increasing vaccine confidence and demand (includes an interactive activity)
CDC resources for communication and confidence building

The webinar is limited to 200 people. The Zoom link will be provided once registered. Registration closes at 5 p.m. ET Friday, March 4.

Managing Chronic Health Conditions

Allergy & Asthma Network Resources

Allergy & Asthma Network unites and advocates on behalf of 60 million Americans with asthma, allergies and related conditions. Their goal is to improve quality of life and achieve equitable and optimal health outcomes for adults and children living with these chronic conditions, especially those in underserved communities. Here are a few of their many resources:

SN CHAT – A tool developed for school nurses by a school nurse. SN CHAT offers tools and resources to help school nurses manage chronic health conditions in the school setting (this is a free download).
Patient Learning Pathways – The Patient Learning Pathways video series are short videos about allergy, asthma and anaphylaxis management and treatment.
Allergies and Asthma at School – Resources for Parents and Schools

CDC ME/CFS in Children Fact Sheets

Myalgic encephalomyelitis/chronic fatigue syndrome (ME/CFS) in adolescents and younger children is a complicated condition that can be challenging for the child and everyone involved in caring for the child. This page contains printer-friendly fact sheets with information about ME/CFS for healthcare professionals, parents/guardians, and education professionals who care for adolescents and younger children.

Additional Resources: The CDC has also worked with the Center for Parent Information and Resources (CPIR) to feature web links to content in the pediatric section of the CDC's ME/CFS website.

Clinical Practice Guideline: Students with Type 1 Diabetes

Approximately 1.1 million children and adolescents are estimated to have Type 1 diabetes (T1D) globally, with an estimated 128,900 new cases annually (International Diabetes Foundation, 2019). Based on the most recent and highest quality evidence available, the purpose of this Guideline is to give the school nurse, working with students in grade pre-k-12 who have T1D, practice recommendations and strategies to provide quality care and improve the health and safety of the school-age child with T1D. See the Guideline.

Improving School Community & Student Health

National Children's Dental Health Month Tackles Oral Health

Each February, the American Dental Association (ADA) sponsors National Children's Dental Health Month to raise awareness about the importance of oral health. This month-long national health observance brings together thousands of dedicated professionals, healthcare providers, and educators to promote the benefits of good oral health to children, their caregivers, school nurses, teachers, and many others. Find ADA resources here.

NASN Resources: Since school nurses address a wide range of health concerns in large student populations in addition to oral health, a one-stop location for oral health teaching resources, continuing education resources, and for locating partners and protocols for prevention and treatment programs was needed. Check out NASN's resources.
Additional Resources: The Rhode Island Department of Health's Dental Trauma Decision Tree is designed to aid school nurses, teachers, and athletic coaches in treating minor dental emergencies.

February is Teen Dating Violence Awareness & Prevention Month

The CDC developed Dating Matters, an evidence-based teen dating violence prevention model that includes prevention strategies for individuals, peers, families, schools, and neighborhoods. It focuses on teaching 11 to 14-year-olds healthy relationship skills before they start dating and reducing behaviors that increase the risk for dating violence, like substance abuse and sexual risk-taking. The CDC developed the Dating Matters Toolkit to give you everything you need to kick off and sustain the Dating Matters comprehensive teen dating violence prevention model in your community.

Mark Your Calendar

OSNA Special Topics Cafe: Supporting Students With Anxiety

Wednesday, March 2

The CALM Team from the University of Connecticut School of Medicine will present about Enhancing the Capacity of School Nurses to Reduce Child Anxiety (CALM). Nurses will learn about this innovative research project.

Webinar: COVID-19 Vaccine Confidence Bootcamp

Wednesday, March 9

This webinar, hosted by the CDC and NASN, is intended for school nurses and staff who are tasked with building COVID-19 vaccine confidence and increasing vaccine demand.

The webinar is limited to 200 people.

Registration closes at 5 p.m. ET, March 4.

Learn more and register

HIMSS22: Healthcare Information and Management Systems Society

March 14 - March 18

Explore the power of innovation to re-imagine health at HIMSS22: the premier global healthcare conference. Choose your path to attend: in-person, digital, or both.

NASN is excited to be a Collaborator of HIMSS22! As such, our members receive the member discount to attend.

View registration instructions

Deadline for NASN Election Nominations

Tuesday, March 15

During the next election cycle, NASN will seek candidates for the office of President-Elect 2023-2025, Secretary/Treasurer 2023-2025 and for membership on the Nominating Committee 2023-2025.

Learn more and Nominate

School Nurse Day

Wednesday, May 11

Since 1972, National School Nurse Day has been set aside to recognize school nurses.

National School Nurse Day was established to foster a better understanding of the role of school nurses in the educational setting.

The 2022 toolkit will be released in the spring.

NASN’s Annual School Nurse Conference

IN-PERSON NASN2022: June 28 – 30, 2022

VIRTUAL NASN2022: July 11 – 13, 2022

NASN2022 BUNDLE: Includes both options

NASN’s 54th Annual School Nurse Conference will offer two separate learning events in 2022 to meet the needs of all school nurses, amid pandemic health, travel and economic concerns.

Registration Opening Soon!

State Associations of School Nurses' Conferences

New Jersey State School Nurses Association Virtual Spring Conference - NJ School Nurses: A Force for the Future - March 19 - Learn more and Register

Pennsylvania Association of School Nurses and Practitioners Conference - Moving On and Moving Up - March 24-April 23 - Learn more and Register

Ohio Association of School Nurses 49th Annual Conference - Where Perseverance Meets Passion - April 1-April 3 - Learn more and Register

Missouri Association of School Nurses: Annual Spring Conference 2022 - School Nurses: Helping Students Soar to New Heights - April 2 & 3 - Learn more and Register

Oregon School Nurses Association Spring Conference 2022 - Strengthening the Essentials - April 21-April 22 - Learn more and Register

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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