School Health Program News - Education Development Center

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School Health Program NewsOne way to keep students withasthma healthy and successful inschool is to create and implement acase management system that bringstogether general and special educationpractitioners, the family, schoolhealth professionals, and pediatricians,said Jack Campana, theformer director of student servicesat the San Diego Public Schools.The telecast described a case managementsystem that the San DiegoPublic Schools implemented for studentswith asthma, as well as adaptationopportunities in other districts.To obtain materials from theteleconference, you can log on tothe Web site of the National Institutefor Urban School Improvement,www.inclusiveschools.org.24DASH Technical AssistanceTo provide science-based guidanceand support to its funded partners,CDC’s Division of Adolescent andSchool Health (DASH) is providingassistance in evaluating schoolasthma programs. An Expert PanelMeeting on School Asthma Programswas held in March 2003.Leading asthma experts fromaround the nation reached consensusat the meeting on the componentsof a logic model and key indicatorsthat will be used for continuedtechnical assistance with CDC/DASH-funded asthma partners.CDC/DASH will host a one-dayevaluation training workshop forfunded asthma education agencieson July 16, 2003. The Asthma ProgramEvaluation Training for CDC/DASH-Funded Education Agencieswill build on information deliveredat the May Funded Partners Meetingand technical assistance obtainedfrom the Academy of EducationalDevelopment. A product ofthis workshop will be a completedevaluation grid that funded educationagencies will be able to utilizefor their asthma programs.For more information about CDC/DASH’s response to addressingasthma in schools, contact:Sarah MerklePhone: (770) 488-6129E-Mail: SMerkle@cdc.govNASN Pilots AsthmaProgramThe National Association of SchoolNurses (NASN), in its third year ofa cooperative agreement with CDC/DASH, is now piloting the SchoolNurse Asthma Management Program(SNAMP), which will be releasednationwide during fall 2003.SNAMP is intended to teach schoolnurses to more effectively manageasthma in students at school andduring school-related activities. Theprogram focuses on improving collaborationwith school health teammembers, community health careproviders, and local asthma-relatedorganizations and associations. Theprogram’s aims are to decrease students’symptoms of asthma, improveschool attendance, and increaseaccess to health care for individualswith this common childhoodchronic illness.In fall 2003, materials will be distributednationwide. In addition, atraining-of-trainers program forqualified school nurses will be heldin fall 2003.NASN, through this cooperativeagreement, is also analyzing whichhealth and educational policies facilitateimproved care of childrenwith asthma at school. NASN will goon to develop other methods tobroadly distribute the training materialsto school nurses, for example,through a Web-based tutorial.SNAMP has been developed andrefined by project officers, anasthma work group, and three advisorygroups. The SNAMP advisorygroup includes representativesfrom each of the eight coordinatedschool health program components.The second advisory groupconsists of asthma content experts,and the third group provides directionabout the school nurse’s rolein school-based asthma management.For more information about theasthma management program, contact:Jacalyn P. DoughertyPhone: (303) 663-2329E-Mail: nasn@nasn.orgNASN Offers Training inDiabetes Management atJune ConferenceNASN has also developed a trainingfor managing diabetes in theschool setting. “Strategies to HelpStudents with Diabetes: A Manualfor School Nurses” will be ready forthe NASN preconference on June27. A new manual will be distributedwith the training. Other trainingsbeing piloted are “Healthy Weightsfor Healthy Kids,” to be piloted inConnecticut, and “Disaster Preparedness:A Guide for SchoolNurses.”For more information about theseNASN trainings and materials, contact:Marilyn KinnePhone: (303) 663-2329E-Mail: mkinne@nasn.org
Principal Fights forIndoor Air QualityStruck by the overwhelming numberof students who visited her officefor asthma inhalers, the principalat G.W. Carver ElementarySchool, outside of San Francisco, setout to investigate. She learned thather school had many more studentswith asthma, even compared withnearby schools. The local healthcare agency confirmed that theCarver community had higherasthma rates than other areas of thecity—and that the local AmericanLung Association (ALA) and theState of California were aware ofand ready to address this disparity.As the local ALA was an EnvironmentalProtection Agency (EPA)Indoor Air Quality (IAQ) Tools forSchools Partner, it hosted a meetingattended by key stakeholders toaddress the problem of asthma andIAQ in San Francisco schools. EPAoffered assistance, and the San FranciscoUnified School District selectedG.W. Carver as one of twopilot schools for the IAQ Tools forSchools Program.Needed changes were evident fromthe initial school walkthroughs. Aftersimple building repairs weremade, routine maintenance practiceswere implemented, and schoolstaff were trained, several positiveoutcomes were reported, includingthese two:• Visits to the principal’s office forthe use of asthma inhalers werereduced by half.• Fewer students needed to keepasthma medicine or inhalers atschool.• Asthma episodes became lessfrequent even though the numberof students with asthma hasnot changed.An Asthma Task Force, comprised ofschool officials, EPA, ALA, Universityof California at San FranciscoMedical Center, Stanford University,and the San Francisco City HealthDepartment, now provides asthmarelatedassistance to the community,including a telephone hotline and adirectory of resources.The story of the G.W. Carver Schoolis not unique. Schools across thecountry have taken charge of theirindoor air quality and are workingwith EPA through the IAQ Tools forSchools program. These districtshave also made the link between ahealthy learning environment andimproved student performance.EPA’s Web site, www.epa.gov/iaq,contains considerable asthma-relatedinformation, including casestudies of other schools that havetackled poor indoor air quality.For more information about the IAQTools for Schools program, contact:Michele GuarneriPhone: (202) 564-9099E-mail:guarneri.michele@epa.govCoalition PromotesPesticides ProtectionMost school districts do not havesafe pesticide use policies in place,according to Beyond Pesticides/National Coalition Against the Misuseof Pesticides. Without a federallaw regulating school pesticide use,states and local school districts musttake the lead in protecting studentsfrom toxic exposure while they areat school, said the Coalition, a 20-year, nonprofit membership organization.Pesticides are often applied inschools immediately before the studentsarrive or even after they arepresent.May 2003According to the 2002 update ofBeyond Pesticides’ analysis of statepesticide laws, 33 states have takensome action to address pesticide usein or near their schools. Manyschool districts have adopted safepest management policies in responseto state requirements or asa voluntary measure that exceedsstate laws, which are uneven.Beyond Pesticides recommendsthat safe pest management policiesinclude four components:• The Integrated Pest Managementprogram, a systematic processof monitoring to establishwhether a pest problem exists;identifying the causes of theproblem; using pest suppressiontechniques, if needed, based onmechanical and biological controls;and using the least toxicpesticide, only after nontoxicalternatives have been tried andexhausted• Written notification, prior toeach pesticide use, to ensurethat all students, parents, andstaff are warned about potentialexposure• Posted pesticide use notificationsigns• Restrictions on the use of certainpesticidesLaws and policies that only recommendrather than require the adoptionof these four components areineffective, says the national coalition.Local groups are paying moreattention to pesticides as communitiesreject chemical-intensive approachesto pest control. Many U.S.communities are adopting state andlocal policies that foster a schoolenvironment free from both pestsand pesticides. These communitiesaim for long-term control of pestsand use toxic pesticides only as a lastresort.25
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