Last week, NASN President Linda Mendonça joined a roundtable discussion with Rhode Island healthcare leaders, where Rep. Seth Magaziner announced his first piece of legislation as a member of Congress, the “Healthcare Worker Retention Act,” which aims to address workforce shortages in healthcare.

“This legislation, with its goal of incentivizing the hiring and retaining of healthcare professionals, is a strong first step in addressing the shortage of school nurses," said Mendonça. See the Press Release.

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NASN is accepting nominations for the Distinguished Service Award and the NASN Recognition Award. Please help us recognize an organization or individual(s) who has given outstanding service, continually supported, or uniquely contributed to NASN school nursing or school health services. View descriptions and candidate submission procedures. Nominations are due March 1.

School settings are uniquely positioned to influence the development of bladder habits. The Journal of School Nursing (JOSN) research article, Adolescent Women's Perspectives on Barriers and Facilitators to High School Bathroom Use, reveals insights into the adolescent experience, particularly regarding the bathroom environments and school policies that keep adolescent women in the classroom versus responding to their biological urges. School nurses have a unique role in educating teachers, administrators, and students about the importance of clean bathrooms and policies that support bathroom use in conjunction with the biological urge.

• NASN members receive an online subscription to JOSN. Current and previous articles are indexed online.
• JOSN seeks manuscripts that bring new perspectives and innovations to school nursing. View the manuscript submission guidelines.

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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.

• Meet the Seated Nurse (Source: timeforkids.com)
• School Nurse Delivers Baby in Elementary School (Source: scrubsmag.com)
• MUSC (Medical University of South Carolina) wellness initiative tackles growing mental health concerns in schools (Source: counton2.com)
• $1 million coming to Genesee County school nurse program (Source: abc12.com)
• Brownwood ISD (TX) Announces Spotlight Employees For February (Source: brownwoodnews.com)
• School Nurses Play Vital Role in Developing Children’s Health Literacy (Source: recordcourier.com)
• Heartland school district doubling down on safety measures after November scare (Source: ktvo.com)

NASN’s 55th Annual School Nurse Conference will once again offer two separate learning events to meet the needs of all school nurses. You can choose from one of these three great options: 

• In-Person NASN2023: Join us in Orlando, Florida, for In-person NASN2023, June 30 through July 3, 2023!
• Virtual NASN2023, July 10 to July 12, 2023, gives you the flexibility to learn from anywhere.
• NASN2023 Bundle: Register for the Bundle to increase the total number of NCDP contact hours available. Take advantage of the all-encompassing event where you can double your skills, networking, and experience.

Let's Build For the Future Together!

School Nurse-Led Case Management – Application of the Nursing Process

School nurses, refresh your perspective about how the application of the nursing process guides the provision of School Nurse-Led Case Management (SNLCM) for vulnerable students. This free course offers evidence-based current information, tools/resources, and strategies to support the confidence and competence of the school nurse role in promoting health equity for students with a known (asthma) and suspected (Myalgic Encephalomyelitis/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome - ME/CFS) health condition using SNLCM. Learn more and complete the course.

• See also: The School Nurse-Led Active Surveillance Manual, which guides school nurses in addressing health-related absences. And, A Model for School Nurse-Led Case Management manual, supporting the school nurse in providing case management for students with chronic health conditions.

Join the Healthy Schools Campaign and Georgetown Center for Children and Families and Community Catalyst on Thursday, March 2, at 1 p.m. CT, for a look at how 18 states are leveraging Medicaid funding and how other states can get started. Attendees will also learn how states are increasing the types of school health providers eligible for Medicaid reimbursement. Register today. 

NASN holds the position that promoting continuous and initial Medicaid and State Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP) coverage provides health benefits and supports health equity for eligible children and adolescents. Providing information about Medicaid unwinding and reminding families to update their contact information with Medicaid will enable them to respond to communications from the state Medicaid office during this unwinding. Lack of health care coverage is a health equity concern for students. School nurses promote health care access for students.

Parents/caregivers, school staff, and other adults in the community can help kids prevent bullying by talking about it, building a safe school environment, and creating a community-wide bullying prevention strategy. StopBullying.gov provides information from various government agencies on what bullying is, what cyberbullying is, who is at risk, and how you can prevent and respond to bullying. 

Millions of children are living with chronic diseases in the US, and some of them require the use of sharps to manage their condition. School nurses play an important role in medication administration and educating students on safe sharps disposal. SafetyIsThePoint.org offers free and easy-to-understand educational resources about safe sharps disposal and is the go-to website to find the closest sharps disposal location. Learn more.

CDC’s YRBS Data Summary & Trends Report: 2011-2021 is now available. This report provides the most recent 10-year trends on the health and well-being of U.S. high school students.

Eating Disorders Awareness Week, Monday, February 27 - Sunday, March 5, is an annual campaign to educate the public about the realities of eating disorders and to provide hope, support, and visibility to individuals and families affected by eating disorders.

• Maryland Association of School Health Nurses Annual Conference - School Nurse-Navigators "Remember the Past, Navigate the Present, and Prepare for the Future" - March 4, 2023 - Learn more

• Vermont State School Nurses Association Spring Conference - March 24, 2023 - Learn more and Register

• Missouri Association of School Nurses Spring Conference - School Nurses Planting a Lifetime of Health - March 25-26, 2023 - Learn more and Register

• New Jersey State School Nurses Association Spring 2023 Conference - Reimagining School Nursing - March 25, 2023 - Learn more and Register

• Overseas School Health Nurse Association Spring Conference 2023 - March 26-27, 2023 - Learn more and Register

• Delaware School Nurse Association Winter/Spring Conference - Save the Date - April 1, 2023 - Learn more

• Ohio Association of School Nurses 2023 Annual Conference - Good as Gold, Celebrating 50 Years of Ohio Nurses - April 14-16, 2023 - Learn more and Register

• Louisiana School Nurses Organization: 53rd Annual LSNO Professional Growth Seminar - April 18-21, 2023 - Learn more

• Wisconsin Association of School Nurses Annual Conference - Improving the Inclusivity and Visibility of School Nurses - April 26-28, 2023 - Learn more

NASN Calendar of Events

This calendar includes upcoming events hosted by NASN and NASN affiliate school nurse organizations. Access the calendar.

National Health Observances Calendar

This calendar lists special days, weeks, or months dedicated to raising awareness about important health topics. Access the 2023 calendar. 

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