“We’re not just Band-Aids, and ice packs, and lice checks,” Brookside Primary School (BPS) nurse Allison Conyers told the Harwood Unified Union School District (HUUSD) Board at its February 21 meeting. She was injecting a bit of humor into her presentation as she outlined the work of district nurses in 2023.
Conyers said that the 10 nurses who work across HUUSD schools are involved in making care and other services accessible within schools, as well as coordinating care for students beyond school walls.
Last year, they hosted a dental hygienist who offered dental care for 48 HUUSD students on Medicaid – funded by a program through the Vermont Department of Health (VDH). The hygienist will return in the spring and the nursing team is hoping to enroll more students.
The team was able to get a translator for a Spanish-speaking family who needed information on vaccinations for their child, funded through a University of Vermont Extension program called Bridges to Health.
They also began coordinating sports physicals for students at a Waterbury clinic due to issues with families getting appointments in time for students to be eligible for sports.
This year, the nursing team worked with VDH to stock some of their schools with Naloxone – an FDA-approved pharmaceutical that can reverse the effects of an opioid overdose.
At times, legislative advocacy is on the agenda of HUUSD nurses. Conyers said that several nurses are on the boards of professional organizations that engage in advocacy at both state and national levels.
Last year, BPS school nurse Sophia Hall gave testimony to the Vermont Legislature for a bill that outlined protocols for students who have seizures while in school. In her role as board member for the National Association of School Nurses, Hall also met with Senator Bernie Sanders and his staff to discuss the importance of school nursing, Conyers said.
Last week, Waitsfield Elementary School nurse Clayton Wetzel testified to a Senate committee about a bill that would allow children to take a bottle of non-spray sunscreen to school.
Finally, Conyers presented data on the use of school services and spoke more broadly about how district nurses are involved with student data collection. Across the district, 2023 nursing services increased from the previous year. About 94% of students who had office visits in 2023 went back to class for the day. About 67% spent less than 10 minutes in nurses’ offices.
Conyers said that the team wants to spend more time reviewing school data together. They have data on immunizations rates, asthma, and access to health care, as the state requires districts to report it annually. They also want to review and discuss data from the Youth Risk Behavior Survey – a national survey administered to middle and high school students by the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention. It monitors students’ behaviors and perceptions around physical activity, substance use and other topics.
2021 results showed that in the 30 days prior to students taking the survey, over a third of Harwood Union High School students experienced stress, anxiety, and depression most or all of the time. It also showed that female-identifying and “LGBTQ+” students felt treated badly and were more likely to harm themselves. Conyers told the board that the nurse team hopes to collaborate with others to determine how to better meet students’ needs.
