2014 School Nurse Conference

Transcription

1 THE POWER OF PARENTS PARENTS CAN ADVOCATE FOR MORE SCHOOL NURSES AND SCHOOL NURSES CAN PROVIDE ENCOURAGEMENT AND SUPPORT! OBJECTIVES To demonstrate why parents make good advocates for school nurse funding and school health issues To discuss the success in Charlotte Mecklenburg Schools that resulted in 1 nurse per school To use this success as a framework and a model for school health advocacy movements in other areas To help you understand the FACE acronym and how to apply it in your region To motivate you to encourage your school district s parents to start advocacy for school nurse funding WHY PARENTS/FAMILIES MAKE GOOD SCHOOL HEALTH ADVOCATES School nurses fear for their jobs and may not advocate; May be seen as self serving School administration advocates for academics Parents/families have no vested interest but the health and safety of their children Parents are the consumers, taxpayers and the VOTERS! 1

2 OUR PERSONAL STORIES The FACE of Parent Advocacy FACE FOUR STEPS IN ADVOCACY F FOLLOW THE FUNDING A AWARENESS CAMPAIGN C COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS E EASY FOR PARENTS TO HELP 2

3 STEP ONE: FOLLOW THE FUNDING How are your nurses funded? School system employees Health Department employees Combination or other source Timeline When does Health Dept/School District submit their budgets? When does County Manager complete proposed budget? When is proposed budget public hearing? CONSIDER YOUR TIMELINE Step One: Convincing Health Dept Director or Superintendent of the need for more nurse funding s to them from parents; Media Need it in their budget to county manager Step Two: Convincing the County Manager Need him/her to put it in their proposed budget Step Three: BOCC keeps it in final budget FUNDING = POLITICS STEP TWO: AWARENESS CAMPAIGN Most families/elected officials not aware nurse is not in school daily Community meetings Media coverage Personal stories PTA meetings/newsletters Start talking to elected officials Meet candidates for School Board, County Commission and find supporters! 3

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5 TELEVISION MEDIA 5

6 TELEVISION MEDIA Have community meetings about the need for more nurses and invite the media Get groups to attend Commissioner or School Board meetings and public hearings and alert media you will be there Wear a certain color to stand out Make signs Have speakers Keep in contact with reporters so they can do follow up stories When Teri Saurer sent her first daughter to school, she didn t think twice about school nurses. But when Saurer enrolled her second child at Ballantyne Elementary last spring, that s one of the first things she checked. Five-year-old Hannah has severe food allergies and a history of epilepsy, and her mom was shocked to learn there would be no nurse at school half the week. Now Saurer is leading a group of Mecklenburg and Union county parents lobbying for a full-time nurse in every school. Not only do nurses care for a growing number of students with such chronic conditions as asthma, allergies and diabetes, the parents say, but their expertise could be vital in case of accidents and unexpected ailments. Charlotte Observer October 17, 2012 Success in sight for advocates A year ago, Teri Saurer went to a county budget hearing and made an impassioned pitch for more school nurses in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. It went nowhere. She's learned a lot since then. After a year of lobbying, she was overjoyed to see that Interim County Manager Bobbie Shields is recommending that commissioners spend $1 million to add 11 school nurses. Now she's trying to rally for a final push for approval at next week's budget hearing. "Getting to the point we're at now to me is amazing," Saurer said this week. Charlotte Observer May 23,

7 INVOLVING PARENTS OF HEALTHY KIDS A village rescued my child; other kids need villages like that By Pamela Grundy Special to the Observer By Pamela Grundy The Observer Saturday, Oct. 19, 2013 When the call came, my hands were buried in the dirt of Shamrock Gardens Elementary s butterfly garden. It was Alfea Gibson, the nurse at Randolph Middle School. My son, Parker, was having trouble breathing. She thought I ought to come. Parker has always had bad seasonal allergies, so it didn t sound alarming. I suggested that if he rested, he might feel better. Somewhat reluctantly, she hung up. I stuck my hands back in the dirt. Then the phone rang again. Parker wasn t getting better, she said. Someone needed to come. It wasn t a seasonal allergy. It was a sudden, possibly life-threatening attack. He d never had anything like that before. We still don t know what caused it. When my husband reached the school, a fire engine sat out front. Parker had an oxygen mask over his face. His skin had turned bright red, and his blood pressure was low. An ambulance arrived. Paramedics swooped in, added a shot of Benadryl to the epinephrine Ms. Gibson had already administered, and rolled him out on a gurney. By the time he reached the emergency room, the worst had passed. STEP THREE: COMMUNITY CONNECTIONS STEP FOUR: EASY FOR PARENTS Parents are busy so make it simple for them to help! s: give them addresses to cut and paste Provide form letters Use social media to spread the word and direct parents how to help Website 7

8 CHARLOTTE, NC SCHOOL HEALTH CAMPAIGN County School Health Task Team School Health Advisory Council School health awareness and promotion Programs and policies Continuing education for staff on health related issues Involved children sending letters, speaking Personal stories Building Momentum and Never Giving Up I ve gotten 300 s on school nurses nothing else comes close. Mecklenburg County Manager Dena Diorio "Greatest impact on child health in Mecklenburg County is through School Health Nursing. Dr. Marcus Plescia, Health Director, February 2014 Budget Retreat School based interventions are: Effective-Children spend majority of day at school Efficient - Poverty is #1 predictor of poor health Nurses: Monitor communicable diseases, deal with chronic conditions, ensure immunizations, emergency care Dr. Plescia strongly believes in school nurses but said he could not have come and asked for 1 nurse/school had it not been for parent advocacy! PUBLIC HEARINGS 50 supporters wearing red 2 years in a row Red signs about need for nurses Variety of speakers- SNANC Former President Cheryl Herberg, parents, Doctors, 7 th grade student 8

9 FACTORS OF INFLUENCE Things working against us Transition from CHS to County Supportive County Manager fired Health Dept Director left BOCC want to reduce taxes Election year Things working for us Transition from CHS to County New County Manager New Health Dept Director Election year BOCC supporters 9

10 SUCCESS! CHARLOTTE, NC RESULTS 44 additional school nurse positions in 2 years 5 additional Supervisory positions Improved nurse/student ratio nurse/1200 students nurse/1125 students nurse/900 students Increased community awareness about the role and need for school nurses Word has spread into other counties/states SCHOOL NURSES CAN HELP! Encourage/motivate parents to advocate You know which parents care about this issue Parents of kids with chronic conditions Parents of kids who have had accidents/injuries at school Let them know advocacy works Refer them to PASH if our efforts continue Parents Advocating for School Health 10

11 SCHOOL NURSES CAN HELP! Provide Information to Concerned Parents Many parents do not realize their nurse is not there daily! Help parents better understand where school nurse funding comes from in your area Refer parents to your Supervisors for information Refer interested parents to one another to work together Provide statistics when appropriate regarding annual health reports for school district (if public info) SCHOOL NURSES CAN HELP! Get Political! VOTE! Very important to vote for School Board and County Commissionersthey usually control funding for school nurses Learn more about the candidates and learn which ones support school nurse funding Support parents advocating for you if possible Ask your Supervisors what political role school nurses can play Attend public hearings Write to elected officials Even if you cannot identify self as a school nurse, you are a tax payer PARENTS AT YOUR SCHOOL ON THE OUTSIDE Demanding Overprotective Overbearing CRAZY!!!!! 11

12 PARENTS AT YOUR SCHOOL ON THE INSIDE Worried, Terrified, Fearful, Sick to their stomach! SCHOOL NURSES CAN HELP! Consider the Parents Perspective Scared their child may die while at school! Parents worries may make it seem like they are demanding/crazy Most parents really want to work with you Parents want and need your help and support Your empathy means more to worried parents than anything else Many parents with kids with chronic conditions feel like their child s life is in the school s hands Consider support groups for parents with children of similar needs-parents of kids with food allergies for example MOVING PARENT ADVOCACY FORWARD Prioritize parent advocacy! Encourage parents to advocate Website to connect parents in similar areas Training for parent advocates Margaret Meed: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed, citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has. 12

13 THANK YOU SCHOOL NURSES If given time in one school, the school nurse can be a: First Responder Educator Trainer Communicator Mentor Confidante Resource Connector and so much more! THANK YOU FOR ALL YOU DO FOR OUR CHILDREN! Teri Saurer, MSW, LCSW, ACSW Founder of N.C. Parents Advocating for School Health 13