DPH Weekly Updates 10/29/15

Dear Colleagues, Happy Halloween! Not to put a sour note on fun activities, but please remember that Halloween remains the deadliest day of the year for child pedestrians. On average, over two times as many children die in pedestrian accidents on Halloween compared to other days! Please see the Children's Safety Network website ( [email protected] ) for their Halloween Safety infographic and blog post which have safety facts and tips to make sure you and your students have a safe and happy Halloween! More Read Halloween Safety Tips from Mass.gov

**** Please note the important NOTICE Sanofi US’ Voluntary Nationwide Recall of Auvi-Q® Due to Potential Inaccurate Dosage Delivery. Please see the website for more information: https://www.auvi-q.com/ Please notify parents/ guardians as soon as possible in order to replace any used at home or stored at school.

It has been a busy week! We have been traveling around the state to the ESHS Regional Nurse Leaders meeting and welcoming nurses new to school nursing at the Introduction to School Nursing in Massachusetts program over the past weeks! It has been wonderful to see so many new and familiar faces as we meet with so many of you! Thank you for your attendance at these meetings where evidence-based practices and leadership initiatives are presented and networking and consultation is ongoing!

We have been receiving an unusual high volume of calls and emails related to lice and school district policies regarding notification of parents. We are asking for your assistance with this. We advise that when pediculosis occurs in a school, the school nurse and school physician should determine, based on their professional judgment, whether some or all parents/guardians and staff should be notified. Parent/guardian notification should also be discussed with the school administrator. (See Exhibit 8-23 (page 8-119) in the MA Comprehensive School Health Manual (2007) for a sample letter to parents/guardians about head lice). Whatever your school policy may be, please be pro-active in your nursing practice and make parents/ guardians aware of it PRIOR to finding any cases of pediculosis in your schools. We are hoping that this will serve to notify parents/ guardians that teaching their children to avoid head-to-head contact with any other student as well as not to share personal items with others. Lice are spread only by crawling from person-to-person directly or onto shared personal items, such as combs, brushes, head coverings, clothing, bedding, or towels. Please teach students and families to use these UNIVERSAL precautions as a means to avoid lice infestations in their own families.

Another question that has been frequently raised is credit being given for continuing education programs for either RN licensure or recertification as an NCSN. The definitions of contact hours and continuing education units (CEUs) and the difference between the two, are often misunderstood. Both contact hours and CEUs measure the amount of time an individual participates in an organized educational experience for continuing education in a number of professions; however, they represent two completely different measurements. When a program is offered by an accredited or approved provider of continuing education for nursing through the American Nurses Credentialing Center (ANCC), credit is calculated in the following manner: · CE = Continuing Education (not to be confused with CEU) · CNE = Continuing Nursing Education · CME = Continuing Medical Education · CEU = Continuing Education Unit (1 CEU = 10 contact hours) · Contact Hour = one clock hour (60 minutes) of an organized learning activity (10 contact hours = 1 CEU)

And finally, I want to take this time to thank you for your continued efforts to be part of substance use treatment, education, and prevention in our Commonwealth: · Thank you to the many who have implemented nasal naloxone access programs in your schools. According to the recent survey that 57.7% of you responded to (244 school districts responding/423) – 133 of the 244 school districts responding either have now, or expect to make naloxone available later this school year in their schools. In addition, this survey demonstrated that in the 244 school districts responding, that 170 school nurses have been trained (thanks to our Regional Consultants!) in the administration of naloxone! Please contact your Regional Consultant for more information related to Naloxone Administration trainings for school nurses. · Thank you to the many districts who have responded to the need for Screening, Brief Intervention, Referral to Treatment (SBIRT) Screening in their schools! We have had an overwhelming response to this program and hope every school district, working with your local substance abuse coalition, will consider implementing this in your middle school and/ or high school. Please continue to contact me for more information related to SBIRT. · And thank you to the many who have attended the Life Skills Training Middle School Certification Training through Northeastern University School Health Institute. The response to these *free* trainings (and materials) sponsored by the MDPH Bureau of Substance Abuse Services for school personnel has been fantastic! See the NEU School Health Institute website for registration for future programs: www.neushi.org

Your efforts are bound to make a difference across the state, in your communities and the schools you serve. We need to respond to our students’ and their families’ needs for these services in order to stop our addiction crisis! Thank you for all you do! Please see all the email updates below!Mary Ann, Carol and Janet

From the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE):The Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has released their application for the Safe and Supportive Schools grants. "The purpose of this competitive grant program is to provide funding to districts (and their selected schools) to develop action plans that organize, integrate, and sustain school and district-wide efforts to create safe and supportive school environments and coordinate and align student support initiatives." These grants were included in the Safe and Supportive Schools line item in this year's budget. A total of $440,000 is being made available for schools.

The application and more information about the grants is available here on DESE's website. All applications are due by 5:00 pm on Monday, November 30, 2015. Any district with an interest in creating Safe and Supportive Schools is encouraged to apply. Please share this widely with your networks.

Also from the MA Department of Elementary and Secondary Education (DESE):Suicide Awareness and Prevention Training Guidance:

Section 12 of An Act Relative to the Reduction of Gun Violence amended G.L. c. 71 by adding Section 95 (a) which requires all public school districts and commonwealth charter schools to provide at least 2 hours of suicide awareness and prevention training every 3 years to all licensed school personnel, subject to appropriation. In addition, newly hired licensed personnel would be trained within 6 months of being hired. The statute states that the training shall be provided within the framework of existing in-service training programs offered by the department or as part of required professional development activities. Since additional funding for this training has not been appropriated, the training is not required. Nonetheless, the Department is providing this guidance to assist districts interested in designing comprehensive professional development on this issue. Teachers and other licensed personnel play an extremely important role in suicide prevention. They have day-to- day contact with many students, some of whom have problems that could result in self-harm and/or serious injury, or even suicide. Teachers, in particular, are well-positioned to both observe the behavior of students and to take action when it is suspected that a student might be at risk for self-harm or harm to others. This guidance was developed using a Safe and Supportive School Framework. Schools and districts are encouraged to consider using this framework as an organizing tool to provide suicide awareness and prevention training within the context of creating a safe and supportive environment for students. The Framework identified 6 key areas that should be addressed in school wide initiatives such as suicide awareness and prevention training plans. Resources: School Resources related to Suicide Prevention From the Massachusetts General Hospital (MGH) Home Base Program:The Red Sox Foundation and Massachusetts General Hospital Home Base Program serves Iraq and Afghanistan veterans and their families through clinical care, education, and research. Through educational programs like this, we strive to build understanding and support within all communities that touch military children and their families. Please see their website at: http://www.stayingstrong.org/educators/ for information and materials available for schools and educators in this effort. Please contact www.homebaseprogram.org or call 617-724-5202 for information related to clinical care and programs.

School Nurses in the News!From New Bedford Public Schools: http://www.southcoasttoday.com/article/20151021/NEWS/151029747/0/SEARCH From the Martha’s Vineyard Schools: http://www.mvtimes.com/2015/10/14/marthas-vineyard-school-nurses-address-rise-in- food-allergies/ The UMass Amherst Collegian student newspaper highlights several of our school districts in the implementation of Narcan: http://dailycollegian.com/2015/10/20/umpd-will-require-officers-to-carry-opioid-overdose-reversing-drug- narcan/

From the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC’s) Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS) Results Released: The U.S. Department of Health and Human Services, Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC’s) Division of Adolescent and School Health (DASH) released the 2014 School Health Policies and Practices Study (SHPPS) results on the DASH Healthy Youth website at www.cdc.gov/shpps. The release includes: a comprehensive report that includes results on the following topics: • health education • physical education and physical activity • nutrition services and the school nutrition environment • health services • counseling, psychological, and social services • safe and healthy school environment • physical school environment • employee wellness • family engagement • community involvement • a fact sheet highlighting key 2014 results • a fact sheet highlighting trends over time (2000-2014) • all questionnaires • public-use datasets and technical documentation SHPPS Background: SHPPS is a national study periodically conducted to assess school health policies and practices at the state, district, school, and classroom levels. SHPPS was conducted at each of these levels in 1994, 2000, and 2006. In 2012, SHPPS was conducted at the state and district levels. In 2014, SHPPS was conducted at the school and classroom levels.

From the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers: We’re doing a free webinar on October 28th, 2015 from 11am -12 noon in conjunction with the Mass. League of Community Health Centers on the “Proper Management of Concussions among Youth and Complying with the Regulations”: Come learn what every medical professional needs to know to help keep student-athletes safe and comply with the sports concussion regulations. Concussions are the “invisible injury” which presents many challenges to medical professionals and school staff who all play a vital role in how concussions are handled. In this session, Linda Brown MBA, the MDPH Program Coordinator of Sports Concussion Activities will provide an overview of the regulations and DPH’s clinical and policy guidance to schools when a student has been injured from a sports-related head injury. Carilyn Rains, RN, BSN, M.Ed., Nursing Supervisor, Sandwich Public Schools will talk about the pivotal role of the school nurse in supporting student health/safety and the return to academics and learning after a concussion. Kathleen P. Thornton, MS, LAT, CSCS a Team Leader and Athletic Trainer with Southcoast Hospitals will discuss the crucial role that proper concussion education plays in the recognition and management of concussions and why it can prevent further more serious injury such as Second Impact syndrome. She will also discuss the treatment of concussion and the gradual return to sport for the concussed student. Participants will leave with a better understanding of what concussions are, how to comply with the DPH regulations and how to help their students navigate their way back from the injury safely.

See below on how to sign on. Feel free to distribute to your patients, students, school staff and colleagues. Please see the attached Outlook Calendar invite. To join the meeting please use the following URL: https://communityhealth.adobeconnect.com/concussions/ Please enter your first and last name when signing into Adobe.

Webinar Audio Preference: Once logged into the webinar you will be asked your preference for audio access either by joining via speakers on your computer or by entering a dial-back phone number to receive an automated call from Adobe connecting you to the webinar.

If for any reason this prompt fails, please use the following credentials to access audio: Conference number: (800) 531-3250 Conference code: 6022760749 *If you have never attended an Adobe Connect meeting before, you may want to test your connection prior to the meeting. You can do so here. **For a quick overview please click here.

Please share this with any additional colleagues at your health center that we inadvertently did not include. If you have received this invitation in error, please let us know. Questions? Contact Elizabeth Jackson at [email protected] at the Massachusetts League of Community Health Centers

From the American School Health Association (ASHA):

Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child: Expanding the Evidence Base In 2014, CDC and ASCD, in collaboration with key leaders in the fields of public health and education, launched the Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) model for school health. Building upon this effort, CDC, ASCD, and numerous partners have published ten articles in the November 2015 special supplement the Journal of School Health, the journal of the American School Health Association. The articles are free to download. Authored by experts in the field of school health and education, these articles expand the evidence base for the components of the WSCC model and are a resource for practitioners implementing the model to create healthy school environments that support health and learning. The articles and the WSCC model build upon the Coordinated School Health (CSH) Model and the Whole Child Approach, and represent greater alignment of both education and public health goals.

From the Massachusetts Interscholastic Athletic Association:

The School Administrator’s Role in Youth Suicide Prevention

Thursday, November 5, 2015Registration: 8:00 am to 8:30 amWorkshop: 8:30 am to 3:00 pm at the MIAA/MSSAA Office, Franklin, MA Fee of $40 per person includes light breakfast, lunch and materials.

Featuring Workshop Presenters: Scott Poland, EdD, Renowned Expert in School CrisisMeghan Diamon, Screening for Mental HealthJoanna Bridger, Riverside Trauma CenterAnne Gilligan, MA DESE Workshop participants will: Identify protective factors and programs to prevent youth suicide. Learn the legal lessons from cases where schools were sued following a youth suicide. Understand the relationship between school shootings and suicide and the most common motivations for murder/suicide. Understand the complex relationships between bullying and other risk factors and suicide. Develop a comprehensive best practices model for prevention, intervention and postvention in schools. Make the connection and alignment to emergency management, to safe and supportive learning environments, legislation, policy, protocol and practice. Workshop FlyerRegister Online

Contact Information for Regional Consultants:

Name Office Phon Region e Email Kathleen Charette 978- 567- 6190, kmcharette@h ext udson.k12.ma. Central 1122 us Patty McCaffrey 781- patriciamccaffr 314- [email protected] Metrowest 5582 m.ma.us Lisa Cross 508- elarsencr oss@fram 782- ingham.k Northeast 6892 12.ma.us Ann Klaver 508- 894- annmarieklaver Southeast 4329 @bpsma.org Diane Colucci 413- colucci- hechtd@spring 750- fieldpublicscho West 2511 ols.com Therese Blain 413- blaint@springfi 750- eldpublicschool 2007 s.com

Mary Ann Gapinski, MSN, RN, NCSN Director of School Health Services MA Department of Public Health