Northeast School Nurse Updates
Volume 15: May 29, 2020
*** Please Share with ALL School Nurse Leaders, School Nurses, and other interested colleagues**
Dear Colleagues,
This has been an interesting Spring and I'm certain that many of you are looking forward to the end of the school year! Every day we inch closer to returning to a "new normal." Staying connected to colleagues will be important. Please don't hesitate to reach out to colleagues for support. Several of you have reached out to me and offered to be a resource for making connections and for supporting planning efforts for school re-openings. I'll be helping connect folks that would like to work together on re-entry planning once we have guidance from the State. We are so fortunate that we have Karen Robitaille, MBA, MSN, RN, NCSN (representing MDPH SHU) and Karen Rufo, MS, RN, PPCNP-BC (representing MSNO) on the DESE School Re-opening Work Group to represent School Nurses from across the Commonwealth. Thank you Karen and Karen!
SAVE-the-DATE! We are planning another round of Regional meetings and the Northeast meeting will be Friday, June 19, 2020 from 1 to 3 p.m. Registration information will be provided as soon as it is available.
Remember, if you need anything, are struggling, or just need to talk, please don't hesitate to reach out to me for support or assistance. I'm looking forward to connecting online or face-to-face very soon!
My best,
Shanyn
Shanyn A Toulouse, MEd, BSN, RN, NCSN
Northeast Regional School Nurse Consultant
✉️shanyn.toulouse@haverhill-ps.org
☎︎ 978.761.2307 Mobile
“In every crisis, doubt or confusion, take the higher path - the path of compassion, courage, understanding and love.” Amit Ray
SCHOOL NURSES IN THE NEWS!
Do you know any School Nurses who have been "in the news?"
On Saturday, May 9th, the Stoneham Public School nurses (below) in conjunction with the Stoneham Board of Health assisted in handing out 5,000 masks and community resource pamphlets to residents in under 2 hours. It was drive thru event held at the high school on a very windy day!
CSHS Budget Clarification from Juliet Berk:
This is to clarify the use of FY20 CSHS funds for a one-time exemption to use funds for consumable supplies that address COVID-19 emergency response and preparedness. Please note that most of these allowable consumable supplies would normally be covered under the school budget. The expenditure limit for equipment remains in place at this time: equipment total should not exceed 15% of the total FY allocated budget.
When submitting amendments that include COVID-19 expenses for approval, please separate supplies from equipment (do not include as a single line item), as this will affect the allowable limit. The deadline for amendments will be extended to June 5th in order to assist you, however, a reminder that all materials ordered with CSHS grant funds must be received in district by June 30.
Additionally, CSHS funds cannot be used to cover nurses work outside of normal working hours on local COVID-19 related assignments, for example, their time on contact investigation, COVID case management etc. These activities are in the purview of the local authorities.
Please find Juliet's contact information below if have have additional questions related to the CSHS grant funds.
Juliet Berk MPA, MS
Program Coordinator III, School Health Services
PH: 617.6245447
MDPH Pediatric Asthma and Diabetes Survey (PADS) Reminder:
We know that you have important health concerns on your mind at this time, and possibly new work assignments related to COVID-19. Thank you for the work that you do. In the event that you were unable to complete the MDPH Pediatric Asthma/Diabetes survey prior to schools closing and you are currently able to access the data needed to complete the survey, we would appreciate your efforts to do so. We understand that many of you do not have access to a FAX machine for return of the survey. Please return the survey to MDPH at the address in the footer of the form via US Postal service. The survey and instructions are below. Only schools with grades K-8 must complete the survey to ensure that MDPH has the data needed to determine asthma and diabetes rates of children across the state for this academic year.
MA Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS)
Dear All,
As some of you may know, MGH has been working with the MA Department of Public Health Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS) on a project focused on developing an educational program to be delivered as part of a Diversion Program when students have a substance use infraction. MGH and BSAS are hoping that this program can/will be used as an alternative to suspension, for substance use infractions by students.
Our team has compiled a survey to be administered to key school stakeholders in order to gather information about beliefs, attitudes, and actions that schools take with respect to student substance use infractions. We are happy to have different perspectives, from people who serve different roles within schools. Please feel free to forward to anyone else who can answer this survey, based on their role in addressing student substance use infractions in your district. We will use these survey results to help refine the program to best meet the needs of school districts across the state.
I’m sure you all are VERY BUSY, but if you can take the time to complete this survey (5-10 minutes), it would be a great service to this project. If you have any questions or input about this effort, please do not hesitate to reach out to me directly.
SURVEY LINK: https://redcap.partners.org/redcap/surveys/?s=EDKJPEDTCY
Thank you in advance!
Sending best wishes for good health to you and your loved ones,
Randi Melissa Schuster, PhD
Assistant Professor, Harvard Medical School
Center for Addiction Medicine
Massachusetts General Hospital
101 Merrimac Street, Suite 320
Boston, MA 02114
Office: 617.643.6673 Fax: 617.643.1998
REMINDERS: Mandated Reporting for CSHS Districts
IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR SCHOOL OR DISTRICT DATA:
CSHS MONTHLY REPORT INFO:
The correct link to the Monthly report form is shown below:
https://mdph.checkboxonline.com/MonthlyReport-2020.survey
All CSHS Report forms and instructions can be found here: CSHS pdf forms 2019-2020
Clicking the link will download a zip file.
Questions related to CSHS mandated grant reporting should go to: dph_eshs_data@dph.state.ma.us
Mandated Reporting for Non-CSHS Districts
IF YOU HAVE ACCESS TO YOUR SCHOOL OR DISTRICT DATA:
Epinephrine administration report form
https://mdph.checkboxonline.com/Epinephrine-Report-2020.survey
SBIRT data report form. This is an Excel spreadsheet that needs to be downloaded, completed, and then returned as an email attachment.
Single user version: SBIRT data collection form 2019-2020 (Single screener)
Multiple user version SBIRT data collection form 2019-2020 (Multiple screeners)
If the file does not automatically download, but opens in Excel, click “ok” when prompted then select “save as” and then save the file to a folder of your choosing (you can re-name the file if needed).
Asthma and Diabetes Survey questions may be directed via email to the project mailbox at DPH-BEH-Asthma@state.ma.us or via telephone to 617- 624-5757. Please ask for the Pediatric Asthma Coordinator.
Concussion Report:
BMI report form. This report is required of districts that are not funded through the CSHS program. CSHS-funded districts and schools should NOT submit a separate BMI report. This report is optional for non-public school districts.
RFP for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund)
CARES ACT RFP Available:
The RFP for the Elementary and Secondary School Emergency Relief Fund (ESSER Fund) is now posted. This grant, authorized under section 18003 of the federal Coronavirus Aid, Relief, and Economic Security Act (CARES Act), provides districts with emergency relief funds to address the impact that COVID-19 has had and continues to have on elementary and secondary schools.
Districts may choose one of two possible deadlines to submit their ESSER application: Monday, June 15 for funds for FY20 or Wednesday, July 1 for funds for FY21.
The Department’s Federal Grants Office will hold four identical webinars between Wednesday, May 13 and Wednesday, June 10 to provide more detailed information on ESSER funds and the application process. More information is available in the Friday, May 8 On the Desktop message (download) that DESE sent to districts on this subject.
CAREER OPPORTUNITIES:
Massachusetts COVID-19 Community Tracing Collaborative (CTC)
SELF-CARE RESOURCES FOR NURSES:
Articles:
The Importance of Self-Care for Nurses and How to Put a Plan in Place
https://www.purdueglobal.edu/blog/nursing/self-care-for-nurses/
Podcasts:
Devine Downloads (Episode 62 features the role of School Nurses)
https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/divine-downloads/id1450816258
Nurses Need to Focus on Self-Care: Make the Shift Podcast Series
https://elizabethscala.com/maketheshift11/
Nurses Need to Focus on Self-Care Today we’re here with Tierra Owen, RN, BS. Tierra Owen, RN, BS has been a registered nurse for more than 12 years, specializing in labor & delivery and postpartum. She recently launched Nursing Ourselves, an online platform and hub to increase nurse self-care.
Meditation:
Jean Watson: The Caring Moment
Psychological First Aid Training Videos
Psychological First Aid Part 2: The Impact of Trauma -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=16wuLVWd54Y
Psychological First Aid Part 3: Principles of Psychological First Aid - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=4p9zBC6eChw
Psychological First Aid Parts 4 & 5: Techniques and the "Dos" and "Don’ts" of PFA - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=vOJ2KMHoj7A
Psychological First Aid Part 6: Responder Self Care -
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=9TyZYFjylrc
First Responder Toolkit App
- Developed to help disaster responders of all disciplines to understand and manage their stress. The toolkit that is currently available is a very scaled-down Beta version of the app that will be available later this year. We are pushing out this app now because we believe that it is critical during COVID-19 that responders stay aware of their risk of burnout, compassion fatigue, and traumatic stress so that they can take steps to reduce that risk. The toolkit includes self-assessment checklists, and self-care tips and resources. It is intentionally laid out it a simple format so that highly stressed responders will find the resources simple to use and to understand. https://firstrespondertoolkit.com/
Mental Health Crisis Support:
- Contact your behavioral health provider to see if they can schedule a telehealth visit. Telehealth is a virtual therapy session. Many providers are now offering this option.
- Contact Samaritans 24/7. Call or text our 24/7 helpline any time at 1-877-870-4673
- Contact Crisis Text Line by texting HOME to 741741
- Visit the new Massachusetts Network of Care website to locate behavioral health resources in your area.
- Contact SAMHSA’s Disaster Distress Helpline. The Helpline provides 24/7, 365-day-a-year crisis counseling and support to people experiencing emotional distress related to natural or human-caused disasters. Call 1-800-985-5990 or text TalkWithUs to 66746 to connect with a trained crisis counselor.
- Contact the Massachusetts Emergency Services Program/Mobile Crisis Intervention (ESP/MCI) - 1-877-382-1609 (read more about this program)
- Take care of YOUR emotional health and help others do the same. If you need emotional support during these stressful times: Call 2-1-1 and choose the “CALL2TALK” option.
NEW
- My Hero is You: How Kids Can Fight COVID-19
- Exploring the New Coronavirus: A Comic Just for Kids
- Learn About the Coronavirus Coloring Book
- National Child Traumatic Stress Network (NCTSN):
- Unicef: How teachers can talk to children about COVID-19
- National Association of School Psychologists: Helping Children Cope With Changes Resulting From COVID-19
Multilingual resources on COVID-19:
- Coping with Stress During Infectious Disease Outbreaks flyer in Arabic, Armenian, Chinese, English, Farsi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Tagalog, and Vietnamese. - Los Angeles County (California) Department of Mental Health
- Color in Colorado: A bilingual site for educators and families of English language learners - Infographics, factsheets, and other resources in several languages
- Novel Coronavirus factsheet in English, Amharic, Arabic, Chinese, Hindi, Japanese, Khmer, Korean, Russian, Somali, Spanish, Tagalog, Thai, and Vietnamese. - Washington State Department of Health
- Coronavirus print resources in English, Arabic, Chinese, Korean, Russian, Spanish, Vietnamese, Dari, Farsi, Urdu, Portuguese, Bengali, French, Ukrainian, and Swahili. - U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention
Deaf and Hard of Hearing Communication Tool:
- COVID-19 Visual Communication Tool. Medical Providers can use the icons, and communication tips, to: communicate illness prevention, determine symptoms, severity and timeframe, communicate treatment and ongoing care and learn the preferred method of communication. Deaf or Hard of Hearing Individuals can use the icons to help communicate preferred method of communication, symptoms, severity and timeframe, ask questions about care, know where to get current information regarding coronavirus. - Download the Visual Communication Tool
Families and Youth with Special Health Care Needs:
Contact a resource specialist for information on state and community-based assistance
Community Support Line (800) 882-1435 or https://www.mass.gov/service-details/contact-a-resource-specialist-for-information-on-state-and-community-based
The Division for Children & Youth with Special Health Needs toll free statewide Community Support Line provides information, technical assistance and resources for families with children and youth with special health needs and the providers serving these families.
Resource Specialists inform families about all of the public programs they may be eligible for, and about the state and community-based resources that may provide assistance. They answer questions, do a thorough assessment of family needs and eligibility for services and benefits and provide training to families and providers.
COVID Health Literacy Project
The COVID-19 Health Literacy Project was started by Pooja Chandrashekar , a first-year medical student at Harvard Medical School, and quickly expanded into a national coalition of over 150 medical students representing over 35 institutions and 34 languages. In an effort to help patients from vulnerable communities know when and how to seek care, we set out to create and translate accessible COVID-19 information into different languages. All of our materials are carefully reviewed and vetted by faculty members at Harvard Medical School, and are created in collaboration with Harvard Health Publishing.
MOST RECENT STATE and NATIONAL GUIDANCE:
These resources and guidance change very frequently! Please be sure to check the websites below at least once per day to keep up to date.
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
The Massachusetts Department of Public Health is working closely with the federal Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) to provide updated information about the novel coronavirus outbreak.
https://www.mass.gov/resource/information-on-the-outbreak-of-coronavirus-disease-2019-covid-19
Safety Guidance for Cleaning & Disinfecting for COVID-19
Department of Elementary and Secondary Education COVID-19 Resource Page
Centers for Disease Control and Prevention: Resources for K-12 Schools and Childcare Programs:
CDC Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA)
Clinician Outreach and Communication Activity (COCA) provides timely, accurate, and credible information to clinicians related to emergency preparedness and response and emerging public health threats. COCA fosters partnerships with national clinician organizations to strengthen information-sharing networks before, during, and after a public health emergency.
COCA helps to strengthen the emergency response capacity of clinicians by:
- Disseminating evidence-based health information and public health emergency messages to clinicians
- Collaborating with clinicians to develop communication strategies that support health risk reduction opportunities during public emergencies
- Providing and promoting emergency preparedness and response training opportunities for clinicians
COCA prepares clinicians to respond to emerging health threats and public health emergencies by communicating relevant, timely information related to disease outbreaks, disasters, terrorism events, and other health alerts.You'll find some excellent recorded webinars and other resources here: https://emergency.cdc.gov/coca/
The National Association of School Nurses (NASN) COVID-2019 Resources Page:
PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT OPPORTUNITIES
Updates to the 2020 Immunization Schedules
Immunization Updates Live Webinar
Thursday, June 4, Noon - 1 p.m.
This webinar is ideal for providers who administer vaccines and others who work in vaccine-related healthcare.
The MDPH Immunization Division’s Nursing Unit will review the CDC’s 2020 Childhood and Adult Immunization Schedules, to help providers administer vaccines in accordance with the latest ACIP recommendations.
Topics to be discussed include:
- Changes to the CDC's 2020 Childhood and Adult Immunization Schedules
- Guidance for administering immunizations during the COVID-19 Pandemic
- Useful immunization resources
RSVP deadline: Wed., June 3.
Register here.
For information on CME credits, click here.
Creating Safe and Supportive Learning Environments for All Students
A VIRTUAL workshop for School Administrators, Wellness Coordinators, Athletic Directors, Teachers, Club Advisors, Guidance Counselors, Nurses, Coaches, Athletic Trainers and anyone interested in learning more about effective model programs and best practices in wellness
Thursday, June 4, 2020
This webinar will be offered in a live online session.
Time: 1:00-3:00pm Eastern Time
Fee: There is no cost to attend this webinar.
REGISTER NOW – SPACE LIMITED
Featured Presenter:
Jason Wheeler, DESE Safe Schools Programs, Consultant
This professional development session will help participants foster safer, healthier and more respectful learning environments for all students. Together we can assure that students have access to meaningful experiences and opportunities, regardless of sexual orientation, gender identity and gender expression.
Focused on increasing the number of adult allies and rooted in research-based training methods and adult learning principles, this adult professional development provides a comprehensive review, guidance, best practices, and resources for supporting lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, queer and questioning youth.
Signs of Suicide (S.O.S.) Training July 14, 2020
This 3 hour training will help schools plan their SOS Signs of Suicide rollout for next year. The program is completely turnkey, but we're excited to be able to offer additional support on:
- How to prepare to train students, faculty/staff, and parents
- Best practices for leading SOS discussions and eliminating stigma
- A thorough review of SOS materials and planning processes
- Ways to support students coming back into the classroom after COVID-19
Join our July 14th training here or let me know if you'd like to schedule a virtual training that's customized to your school's needs.
Conversations for Caring Webinar: Physical Distancing and Social Isolation: A Critical Response.
Conversations – June 2020 – Free Training
(Live Streaming Webinar Format)
Tuesday, June 2, 2020 (1:00 – 2:30 pm)
Physical Distancing and Social Isolation: A Critical Response
On-line Registration Link Below
As rates of COVID-19 infection and deaths in the US have surged, communities have had to respond with restrictions on social interactions and face to face contact without protective equipment. This has resulted in renewed concerns about the impact of social isolation on both the mental and physical health of our most vulnerable populations. This training presentation will begin to explore these emerging issues by addressing the following:
- Risk factors for social isolation, and how the current COVID-19 crises contributes to them.
- Social and cultural factors that disproportionately increase the experience of being disconnected and isolated.
- Negative impacts of social isolation on an older adult’s physical and mental health, and how to recognize them.
- Effective ways to address social isolation, build resilience, and encourage wellness in older adult communities.
- Strategies for staying connected during the present crisis, while observing physical distancing and valuing social connection.
Presenting will be Mary Curlew, LICSW. Mary is Community Education and Training Specialist with Jewish Family & Children’s Service. Mary has over 20 years’ experience providing mental health services and training in a variety of settings. Her specialties include trauma informed care, older adult behavioral health, caregiver support and holistic approaches to health care. Mary is a graduate of Boston College’s Graduate School of Social Work and has advanced training in EMDR, CBT, DBT and Mindfulness.
- Social Work, Nursing, LADC, and EMS continuing education credits being pursued.
- Certified Dementia Practitioner (CDP) continuing education credits are approved by the National Council of Certified Dementia Practitioners.
To request registration, please complete the Registration Form
that can be found through the following link:
Physical Distancing and Social Isolation
Please note, webinar "seating" is limited.
There is no charge for this training.
Thank you so much!
Dan Collier
Conversations for Caring
dcollier@glss.net or conversations@glss.net
Greater Lynn Senior Services www.glss.net
To receive emails about new courses, sign up here
Crisis Response and Resiliency Training
Sign Up for our Free Training Opportunity
with Justice Resource Institute
6/9, 6/10, 6/11 all 1-3:00
Building Resiliency through Strong Self Care Practices
This workshop will review the impact of vicarious trauma on providers and facilitate a discussion to help identify domains of impact and effective and attainable interventions to support strong self care practices and resiliency. Special attention will be given to explore accommodations needed during this time in the face of changing life circumstances.
Sign up by clicking both the links below:
Building Resiliency through Strong Self Care Practices
From our Colleagues at Boston Children's, the LEND Program, and Community Education Initiative:
For MASSTART information, go to: http://www.mass.gov/eohhs/gov/departments/dph/programs/family-health/ma-technology-assistance-resource.html
For information on upcoming Community Education Initiative programs and professional day requests, go to: http://www.childrenshospital.org/clinician-resources/community-education-initiative
ADDITIONAL RESOURCES:
From our Family TIES Colleagues in the Northeast Region
From our MASSTART Colleagues:
MASSTART is a free service supported by the Massachusetts Department of Public Health. Our providers help families and schools plan for the health care and safety of children with special health care needs, especially those who are assisted by medical technology, so that they can attend schools safely in Massachusetts.
During school closures, MASSTART is continuing to take on new referrals, doing video and phone meetings with families, and attending virtual IEP meetings. If you know of any families that could use our help or have any questions regarding medically complex students or students supported by medical technology, please don’t hesitate to reach out.
MASSTART providers in the Northeast Region:
Stephanie Porter MSN RN
857-214-4333
Stephanie.porter@childrens.harvard.edu
Heather Engholm MPH BSN RN
857-218-4331
THANK YOU for distributing this update to ALL schools in your cities and towns! I will do my best to be available to you over the next several weeks. Be safe and healthy everyone!
Sending positive energy to you all...
Shanyn Toulouse, MEd, BSN, RN, NCSN
Northeast Regional School Nurse Consultant
✉️shanyn.toulouse@haverhill-ps.org
Haverhill Public Schools
☎︎ 978.761.2307 Mobile