Mon
Jul 30 2007
08:21 pm
Forum on nurses in schools
By: R. Neal

By way of Elaine Davis, an update on the effort to get nurses in all Knox County schools.

The East Tennessee Branch of the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation is lending their support, and will speak to the School Board about it at the School Board's Aug. 6th meeting.

In addition, School Board Chair Karen Carson has called an informal public meeting on the topic. The meeting will be this Thursday, Aug. 2nd at 10AM at the Atlanta Bread Co. at Turkey Creek. Anyone interested in talking about funding for school nurses at all Knox County schools is invited to attend.

Ed. note: I'm surprised this is even an issue. I guess I assumed every school had a school nurse. Even tiny little South Knoxville Elementary had a nurse when I was growing up, and she was a primary source of health care for lots of kids.

Although school nurses should be trained not to leave kids alone in the exam room. I remember one occasion when I was sent to see the nurse due to complaining about, uh, non-specific symptoms. The nurse left me alone, and I ran the thermometer under hot water from the sink and managed to get sent home with a "fever."

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Brian Hornback's picture

The "meeting"

Submitted by Brian Hornback on Mon, 2007/07/30 - 8:58pm.

on August 6th is actually the board's workshop. Not a formal "meeting" where a vote for or against school nurses can/will be held.

KC's picture

Juvenile diabetes

Submitted by KC on Mon, 2007/07/30 - 9:30pm.

The effects of low blood sugar, or hypoglycemia resulting from juvenile, Type 1, diabetes can happen quickly and can be very serious. The effects can range from inability to concentrate to lack of coordination to seizures to unconsciousness, and these can take place in a matter of minutes.

For people who aren't knowledgeable about the disease, the symptoms of hypoglycemia can be mistaken for other things.

Fortunately, with infusion insulin pumps and continuous glucose monitoring devices, the ability of the diabetic to prevent such occurences has been increased, but it has not eliminated the need for care givers of Type 1 diabetics to be fully aware of the diabetics condition. With children, the need to be fully aware and prepared to deal with hypoglycemic events is even greater.

Tamara Shepherd's picture

BEP especially underfunded

Submitted by Tamara Shepherd on Mon, 2007/07/30 - 11:19pm.

I wrote on this subject of too few school nurses in Knox County's (and Tennessee's) schools for the July 23 issue of the Fountain City Focus.

FYI, Gary, Davis's seven year-old son is also a Type 1 diabetic reliant on an insulin pump. In fact, Aleece Stewart, Health Services Director for Knox County Schools, indicates that the school system enrolls two new diabetic students every week. Presently, though, only four of Knox County's elementary schools have their own full-time school nurses.

Since KCS will receive an additional $19 million through the state's BEP funding formula this school year, Elaine and other parents in her predicament are optimistic that some increase in local funding for school nurses may be possible using funds not earmarked by the state for other purposes.

However, KCS is already funding school nurses at a level of 1 : 1083 students, while the state's BEP funding formula pays for just 75% of the cost for a 1 : 3000 student ratio. (Our context for understanding the degree of deficiency, either in Knox County or in Tennessee, is the American Nurses Association's recommended standard of 1 : 750 students.)

We're probably more expedient, then, to target our efforts for more funding to the state. The full story, and what efforts may be underway in Nashville to improve BEP funding for more school nurses, is at (link...) (see page 3A).

bill young's picture

I support this

Submitted by bill young on Mon, 2007/07/30 - 9:56pm.

I support this

StaceyDiamond's picture

nurses

Submitted by StaceyDiamond on Tue, 2007/07/31 - 2:06pm.

I don't remember school nurses in Knox Co, when I was growing up, except maybe for a visit occassionally. There were teachers aides who sued the county and won about a decade a go because the county was trying to force them to do nurse duties.

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