MetroWest Newsletter
January 08, 2020 - Volume 7
In This Issue:
1. From the Desk of Karen Robitaille
2. CSHS Grant Opportunity for Non-Public Schools
3. CSHS Upcoming Meetings Reminders
4. Questions for the Group Section
5.Conferences/Training Opportunities
- SBIRT Training: New Date Added
- School-Based Medicaid Program (SBMP) Training
- 51A Mandated Reporter Training - Online
6. Resource Section Specific to This Newsletter
- Youth Health Connection Newsletter: January 2020 First Edition
- 2019-2020 Season Weekly Flu Reports
- MDPH Vaping Ban Legislation Update
- Pediatric Substance Use Disorder Consultation for PCPs
- Updated Joint Guidance on Privacy and Student Education and Health Records
- National Board of Certification of School Nurses Certification Examination Info
7. Resources/Links To Be Included in Every Newsletter
- MDPH Infectious Disease Reporting & Immunization Resources
- Vaping-Associated Pulmonary Injury Update Reports
- Mass.gov Vaping Public Emergency
- Healthy Schools Toolkit
- Asthma Toolkit for Healthy Schools
- BU SHIELD Resources
- Field Trip Tool Kit
- Managing Life-Threatening Allergies in Schools Manual
- MDPH School Health Services Information
- MDPH Comprehensive School Health Manual
- CSHS Model & Affiliated Program Data Requirements
- State Reports for Both Funded and Non-Funded School
- MDPH School Health Unit Contact Information
Dear Colleagues,
Happy New Year! I hope you enjoyed your time off and that you had the opportunity to rest and rejuvenate! May your upcoming year be filled with peace, happiness, and good health!
Please remember to share this newsletter with other nurses in your district and/or your local area.
Warmest Regards,
Jill
From the Desk of Karen Robitaille:
Greetings and Happy New Year from the MDPH School Health Unit!
I’ve just binged-watched the third season of The Crown, and one of my favorite “characters” so far is John Lithgow’s Winston Churchill. A Churchill quote I think is most appropo for Massachusetts School Health Services in this new decade is: “To improve is to change; to be perfect is to change often.”
2020. Can you believe it? It’s not enough that we have a brand new grant and new leadership to navigate, but a whole new decade too? I suppose Churchill would point out that improvement cannot happen without change, so change we must not only learn to endure, but actually embrace. However, I think I’ll leave perfection to those better equipped!
One change I would like to highlight, however, is the timing of submission of your medication delegation application. We are making some process improvements here in the School Health Unit, and one of those is to accept applications on a rolling basis, instead of processing them in batches, with the majority having traditionally been done over the summer. What does this mean for you? If you are the manager of the medication delegation program in your school/district, keep an eye on your expiration date and request an application at least two months in advance. We will now process applications as they arrive here at DPH, and turnaround times continue to improve, dependent on the accuracy/thoroughness of the application. If you have questions about the application, please feel free to contact Caitlin Pettengill (caitlin.pettengill@state.ma.us) to set up a phone call so she can help you send in an application that can be processed quickly! And lastly, don’t forget to check on the timing of your last required training; nurse managers of the program need to attend DPH approved training every five years. You can find upcoming programs that are offered through BU Shield here: https://www.bucme.org/node/1168.
Until next time, be well!
Karen Robitaille, MBA, MSN, RN, NCSN
< she, her, hers>
Director of School Health Services
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
Bureau of Community Health & Prevention
250 Washington Street, 5th floor
Boston, MA 02108
617-624-5427
Comprehensive School Health Services (CSHS) Grant Opportunity for Non-Public Schools:
RFR 201029, the Comprehensive School Health Services (CSHS) in Non-Public Schools, is now live on Commbuys. Please access the RFR using the link below:
*Please be sure to access and carefully review each of the documents highlighted on the COMMBUYS site.
Please disseminate this as broadly as possible (and as soon as possible), especially among networks likely to reach non-public schools. ALL questions should be addressed to Juliet Berk at Juliet.Berk1@State.ma.us
Note that non-public schools that have already applied for and received an Affiliated CSHS award are eligible to apply for this funding. However, any school awarded funding under this procurement will be expected to offset any funds received under the Affiliated CSHS award if awarded funds under this RFR.
CSHS UPCOMING MEETINGS:
SCHENA:
- 01/14/2020 - Webinar: 9:00 AM - 10:30 AM .
- Attendance required for all Model grant awardees. Optional for Affiliate programs and all others. Course in progress - registration time period has ended.
MetroWest/Boston Regional Meeting:
- 01/17/2020 - 8:30 AM - 2:30 PM (snow date 02/03/2020) at Assabet Valley Collaborative Training Center, 28 Lord Road, Marlborough.
- Attendance required for all Model and Affiliate grant awardees. Open to all others who wish to attend. Registration required.
- Great News: Boston and MetroWest Regions have combined our meetings for the remainder of this school year!
- Agenda pending.
CSHS NURSE LEADER (State-Wide):
- March 05, 2020 - 8:30 AM - 3:00 PM at DoubleTree by Hilton, Westborough, MA
- Attendance required for all Model and Affiliate grant awardees. Registration required.
- April 13, 2020 (***Rescheduled from 12/17/19 due to weather***)
- May 21, 2020
*QUESTIONS FOR THE GROUP*
Please see the following questions from our school health colleagues seeking collaboration. Answers/Information can be sent to the contact information provided for each question. Your sharing of information and resources is greatly appreciated.
1) Postural Screening Survey Participation Request: Doreen Crowe, Coordinator of Nursing Services Wilmington Public Schools, is interested in knowing how many districts Opt-in & Opt-out for postural screenings & the percentage of students that are actually screened annually. She has created the following survey if you are willing to share this information: https://forms.gle/vtnn3ekbbSakA51K6 . If you have any questions Doreen can be reached at Doreen.Crowe@wpsk12.com.
2) Policy/Procedure Sharing Request: Request for sharing of policies, procedures, IHCPs, or Medication Administration Plans related to student self-administration of IV medications. In addition, looking for those that also include self peripheral IV start for self administration of IV medication. These can be sent to me at jill.connolly@braintreeschools.org. I will share out to the requesting nurse leader and with your permission will keep them on file as a resource for future requests. Greatly appreciated!
3) Vision Referral Question: Barbara Singer, Director of School Health Services Needham Public Schools, would like to know if other districts are noticing an increase in vision referrals for grade 9/10 students; specifically for students who fail their distance acuity screening? Please contact Barbara at barbara_singer@needham.k12.ma.us to share this information.
4) FAX Line Question: For schools/districts that have updated their phone system to VoIP (internet) lines, what are you doing about fax lines? Are you keeping an analog line for faxing? If not, what system are you using to receive confidential information from MD office (ie physicals, MD orders)? Do you have any information about the security of faxing over the internet? Please share any information you have regarding this with Kathi Garvin at kgarvin@walpole.k12.ma.us.
*If you are seeking any information from your regional colleagues please let me know and your question(s) for the group will be included here. I can also send your question(s) to the other regional consultants to include in their newsletters to allow for further outreach.
CONFERENCES/TRAINING OPPORTUNITIES:
SBIRT Training
New SBIRT in Schools session added to SHIELD's training schedule.
Dates:
Friday, January 17
Location:
Crosstown Building
801 Massachusetts Avenue
Boston MA
Registration on the SHIELD website.
Reminder this is a blended class that requires an hour of pre-course online work; registrants should plan accordingly.
School-Based Medicaid Program (SBMP) Training:
MassHealth, in conjunction with UMass Medical School, is pleased to announce that registration is now open for the February in-person regional trainings throughout the Commonwealth! Please find information related to the training below as well as a link to register for one of the sessions.These sessions will be available in-person only, there will not be a livestream option. In-person attendance is required to ensure the best possible conversation and to take full advantage of the topics being covered in the trainings.
Please share this information with others in your LEA who would be appropriate for this training based on a review of the training topics outline included below.
What: School-Based Medicaid Program (SBMP) Training
Who: LEA stakeholders and primary contacts for the SBMP, specifically: Special Education Administrators, clinical leadership (e.g. nurse leaders and other lead service providers), Medicaid point-people.
When/Where: From 8:30 a.m.to 3 p.m., with continental breakfast and lunch provided, on:
Registration is restricted to 3 attendees per district. Click on the date/location above to register for the training. Please complete one online registration form
per individual. Registrations are due no later than January 31st. Due to hotel capacity and meal ordering, the 1/31/20 deadline is firm - please register ASAP so you don't miss out!
Training Topics
In response to LEA requests, the focus of these training sessions will be topics related to the Direct Service Claiming (DSC) program requirements. To assist LEAs in determining the most appropriate individuals to send to a training session, please review the outline of training topics:
- Medicaid and Education - shared language/vocabulary
- Diagnosis Coding
- Clinical authorization and documentation requirements
- Medical Necessity
- Monitoring program compliance
- Workgroup collaboration session
- Program Expansion Success Stories
What's next?
Stay tuned! Additional details regarding training materials will be included in an email sent in advance of your training date.
Thank you for your continued commitment to the School-Based Medicaid Program.
School-Based Medicaid Claiming Team
Commonwealth Medicine
Toll Free: (800) 535-6741
FREE Online 51A Mandated Reporter Training:
This online training was designed to satisfy the requirement that mandated reporters who are professionally licensed by the Commonwealth of Massachusetts complete training to recognize and report suspected child abuse and neglect, pursuant to M.G.L. c. 119, § 51A(k). When you finish the training, you will be able to print or download a certificate of completion. Click Here to link to the training website.
This online training was designed by the Middlesex Children’s Advocacy Center in collaboration with the Middlesex District Attorney’s Office to help mandated reporters:
- Understand their legal obligations as mandated reporters
- Recognize possible signs and symptoms of maltreatment
- Know how to respond to a child who discloses abuse
- Know how to file a 51A Report
- Understand what happens after a 51A Report is filed
This self-paced training takes approximately 45 minutes to complete.
Resources for School Health Staff and Others:
Each week throughout flu season (October-May) the Department publishes a Weekly Flu Report which indicates the impact of flu-like illness in Massachusetts. If you have additional questions about influenza activity or trends, please call (617) 983-6800 to speak with an epidemiologist.
https://www.mass.gov/report/2019-2020-season-weekly-flu-reports
MDPH Vaping Ban Legislation Update:
The state’s Public Health Council approved new regulations that restrict the sale of nicotine vaping and flavored vaping and tobacco products, and ended the Governor’s temporary statewide ban on the sale of vaping products in place since September 24th This action follows Governor Charlie Baker’s signing into law An Act Modernizing Tobacco Control on November 27, 2019. The new regulations, which went into effect on December 11th, are as follows:
● Require posting of signage in any location where vaping products are sold to warn customers of the dangers of severe lung disease associated with vaping products and more generally advising them of the health risks of vaping.
● Specify the Commissioner’s authority to prohibit the sale of a designated vaping product on a determination that the product causes an imminent danger to public health.
● Strengthen state and local enforcement, specifying procedures by which DPH or local Boards of Health may inspect retail locations and the products they are selling for compliance with the law, and providing for penalties for violations, ranging from $1,000 for the first violation to $5,000 for three or more violations.
● Establish how retailers and manufacturers must comply with the law's requirement that vaping products with nicotine content of more than 35 mg/ml may only be sold in 21+ establishments.
● Require vaping products to be placed behind the counter in all non-age restricted retailers (e.g., convenience stores).
Effective January 1, 2020, Massachusetts commercial health insurance plans plus the Group Insurance Commission and MassHealth, must cover smoking cessation counseling and FDA-approved products such as gum, lozenges, or patches without cost-sharing. And beginning on June 1, 2020, the sale of all other tobacco products that have a flavor, such as menthol cigarettes and flavored chewing tobacco, will also be restricted to licensed smoking bars where they may be sold only for on-site consumption. Information about the announcement is available at mass.gov/newtobaccolaw. The site will continue to be updated as new information and resources are available.
From MDPH Bureau of Substance Addiction Services (BSAS):
The Massachusetts Child Psychiatry Access Program (MCPAP) has announced their new collaboration with the Adolescent Substance Use and Addiction Program at Boston Children’s Hospital (ASAP) to provide pediatric primary care providers with quick access to pediatric substance use disorder consultation. Beginning October 1, 2019, all Massachusetts pediatric primary care providers will be able to access an ASAP consultant by phone for advice relating to substance use disorders.
This is an exciting opportunity for MCPAP to support pediatricians in treating their patients and to increasing access to substance use disorder treatment for children and adolescents across the state of Massachusetts. More information can be found HERE!
Updated Joint Guidance on Privacy and Student Education and Health Records:
The U.S. Department of Education and the Office for Civil Rights at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services released updated joint guidance in December 2019 addressing the application of the Family Educational Rights and Privacy Act (FERPA) and the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA) Privacy Rule to records maintained on students.
The guidance, which was first issued in November 2008, clarifies for school administrators, health care professionals, families, and others how FERPA and HIPAA apply to education and health records maintained about students. The revised guidance includes additional frequently asked questions and answers addressing when a student’s health information can be shared without the written consent of the parent or eligible student under FERPA, or without written authorization under the HIPAA Privacy Rule. New clarifications and examples address:
- When can protected health information (PHI) or personally identifiable information from an education record (PII) be shared with the parent of an adult student?
- What options do family members of an adult student have under HIPAA if they are concerned about the student’s mental health and the student does not agree to disclosures of their PHI?
- Does HIPAA allow a covered health care provider to disclose PHI about a minor with a mental health condition or substance use disorder to the minor’s parents?
- When can PHI or PII be shared about a student who presents a danger to self or others?
- Under FERPA, can an educational agency or institution disclose, without prior written consent, PII from a student’s education records, including health records, to the educational agency’s or institution’s law enforcement officials?
- Does FERPA permit an educational agency or institution to disclose, without prior written consent, PII from a student’s education records to the National Instant Criminal Background Check System (NICS)?
The joint guidance may be viewed at: https://www.hhs.gov/hipaa/for-professionals/privacy/guidance/index.html and https://studentprivacy.ed.gov/resources/joint-guidance-application-ferpa-and-hipaa-student-health-records
National Board of Certification of School Nurses Certification Examination:
Become a Nationally Certified School Nurse (NCSN)!
The exam will be available to three testing windows in 2020:
- Spring Testing Window: March 5 – 18, 2020. Registration: November 14, 2019 – February 5, 2020
- Summer Testing Window: July 9 – August 5, 2020. Registration: March 19 – June 9, 2020
- Fall Testing Window: November 5 – 18, 2020. Registration Window: August 6 – October 5, 2020
For further information, please see https://www.nbcsn.org/ncsn/examination/
Please remember as of January 1, 2020, Eligibility Requirements changed.
Eligible candidates must:
- Submit a copy of their license as a registered nurse (RN) in one of the United States.
- Submit an academic transcript or proof of current certification, demonstrating attainment of one of the following: *A bachelor’s degree or higher in nursing or the equivalent in other countries OR current certification by NBCSN as an NCSN.
- Meet the clinical practice requirements of a minimum of 1,000 hours that have been worked within the three years prior to taking the test. 1000 hours is roughly equivalent to the hours worked by a full-time school nurse who works at least 6 hours/day for a school year of 180 days documented by a note on letterhead from your supervisor or district official. See below for more information about clinical practice requirements.
- Complete the online application to take the certification examination for school nurses.
- Pay the required fee.
For further information, please see https://www.nbcsn.org/ncsn/eligibility/
A Six Week Online Study Group is offered through School Nurse Net.
Candidates for the online study group have to be MSNO members. To join the study group, sign into School Nurse Net through NASN website, use the drop down on upper right to go to Communities and find “National Certification Exam Candidates”. The next online study group will begin on Friday, January 31, 2020! Please pass the word on to your colleagues who are interested in sitting for the exam in the Spring of 2020.
Any questions contact
Pat Hoban, NBCSN MA. Liaison
The Below Resources/Links To Be Included In Every Newsletter:
MDPH Infectious Disease Reporting and Immunization Resources:
INFECTIOUS DISEASE: ANY infectious disease question, report, or inquiry should be directed to the State Lab at (671)983-6800
DATA REQUIREMENTS for CSHS & NON-CSHS PROGRAMS
CSHS Model and CSHS Affiliated Program Data Requirements:
CSHS MONTHLY REPORT INFO:
The correct link to the Monthly report form is shown below:
https://mdph.checkboxonline.com/MonthlyReport-2020.survey
Questions related to CSHS mandated grant reporting should go to: dph_eshs_data@dph.state.ma.us
All CSHS Report forms and instructions can be found here: CSHS pdf forms 2019-2020 Clicking the link will download a zip file. Open your “Downloads” folder to view the zip file and extract the forms.
CSHS BUDGET QUESTIONS:
Questions related to CSHS budget and spending can be directed to Juliet Berk at juliet.berk1@state.ma.us
State Reports for Both Funded and Non-Funded Schools:
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.
https://mdph.checkboxonline.com/SchoolHealth2020.survey
Questions? E-mail your question to: DPH_ESHS_data@MassMail.State.MA.US
MDPH SCHOOL HEALTH UNIT CONTACT INFORMATION:
Karen Robitaille, MBA, MSN, RN, NCSN
Director of School Health
Phone: (617) 624-5427
Caitlin Pettengill, DNP, RN
Assistant Director of School Health
Phone: (617) 624-6058
caitlin.pettengill@state.ma.us
Juliet Sithole-Berk, MPA, MSCED
Program Coordinator lll
Phone: (617) 624-5447
Robert Leibowitz, Ph.D.
Epidemiologist
Phone: (617) 624-5474
Fax: (617) 624-6062
Evelyn Levenson (interim)
Medication Program Coordinator
Phone: (617) 624-6013
Fax: (617) 624-6062
CONTACT INFORMATION:
Jill Connolly, MEd, BSN, RN, NCSN
MetroWest Regional School Nurse Consultant
Braintree Public Schools
128 Town Street
Braintree, MA
(781) 848-4000, ext. 7841
Fax (781) 843-7058
jill.connolly@braintreeschools.org
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