President’s Message As I write this the summer is winding down and the cicadas are loud in the trees. I trust that all the Ohio school nurses got a much needed break and you are ready for the new school year.

I need to tell you about the wonderful NASN conference that I attended in New York City. My experience started with preconference leadership training. This class was very helpful in that we broke into groups and discussed legislative challenges in various states. My group discussed the diabetic legislation that several states have faced in regards to training unlicensed personnel in the schools to administer insulin in the absence of a school nurse. The information that was gathered from these workgroups will be gathered into a report and sent to all the state presidents. This will give us valuable insight on "what to do" when our state faces these same issues.

I took classes in meningitis, adolescent pertussis, psychopharmacology, pandemic influenza, and coordinated school health programs. (I even heard Pat Cooper speak about school nurses in Macomb, Mississippi and saw pictures of some of the devastation left by hurricanes Katrina and Rita.) There were classes that dealt with how to conduct political advocacy without losing your job and engaging the media for school nurse advocacy. (I was especially interested in these classes as they are a new arena for me). It was four days FULL of learning.

You may wonder if I had time for fun and I would say—YES. I squeezed in two Broadway shows Dirty Rotten Scoundrels and Hot Feet and they both were wonderful!!! I was also chosen to be a part of a small audience for the Good Morning America show. So, if you thought you saw me sitting on steps during a fashion show in Bryant Park- that was me!!

Here are some additional items that have occurred since my March installation:

“So be my guest, you got nothin’ to lose,
Won’t ya let me take you on a sea cruise?”
(Herman’s Hermits lyrics to “Sea Cruise”)

Remember this golden oldie?
We may not be able to take you on a real sea cruise next March, but we’ll strive to give you all the flavor and fun of one if you join us for “School Nurses Cruising School Health Issues” conference to be held at:
Embassy Suites Dublin
March 16 - 18, 2007
Members $150
Room rate $112 (single or double)
Keynote Speaker, Dr. Pat Cooper, Distinguished educator, supporter of school nurses and speaker at the NASN NYC Annual Conference
Great topics - stay tuned for futher information!
Exhibits
Raffles/Baskets
Silent Auction
Endowment Fund Dinner
Raffle to attend the annual NASN Conference

"Oo-ee, oo-ee baby,
Oo-ee, oo-ee baby.
Won’t ya' let me take you on a sea cruise?"

The Annual Conference Committee

Annual conference program will be submitted for continuing nursing education contact hours. The Ohio Association of School Nurses (OH-253) is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Ohio Nurses Association. The Ohio Nurses Association is an accredited approver of continuing education by the American Nurses’ Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation (OBN-001-91). Provider status valid through 12/01/06.

Congress has presented "The Protecting Children's Health in Schools Act of 2006".

Status: NASN endorses both the House (HB 5834) and Senate (SB 3705) bills. This bill is receiving opposition in both House and Senate. Congress needs to hear that this is good for children's health.

Action: All school nurses are asked to please call their Senators and Representatives and ask them to support this bill.
Contact Information (web links) available at:
U.S. Senate web link
US. House of Representatives web link

SEOASN Members – The members list is constantly being modified as I receive new member’s information or rejections from emails. If anyone receiving this email know of any changes in their district or with co- workers, please forward it to me even if you think I have the information. If you have joined the National /State (NASN/OASN) organization recently, please let me know so I can update this information and forward it to membership. Annette Scott – SE Rep.

Again, I will place this appeal. OASN is certified to provide the necessary coverage for CEUs if you have a planner. This service is offered to all regions for a small fee. They do the necessary paperwork, but the region must supply the “planner” with the necessary information submitted to be “reviewed”. This allows us to have CEU offerings at our meetings. Training is available for planners and reviewers. Designated planners must be a BSN prepared nurse. Reviewers can have any nursing certification. Anyone interested in being a “PLANNER” for in-services for our (SE) meetings or anyone interested in being a reviewer of others who wish to submit documentation, pleases let me know and I will forward this information.

Officers retained are:

The COASN Board met for an enthusiastic and productive meeting on August 3rd at the northwest Columbus home of President Kate King. The goals set for this year are: 1) To increase awareness of the profession of school nursing in the community, in the local, state and national legislature, and among school board; 2) To increase membership and involvement from all 14 counties within the COASN region; 3) To compile a comprehensive demographic report of the COASN region including the number of school nurses in each school district, the education level of those school nurses and the number of students served by those school nurses; and 4) to offer three CNE programs during the year.

The Fall Dinner Meeting is planned for Thursday, October 18th with the topic of Mental / Brain Disorders and Psychopharmacology. The speaker and site are being confirmed. The mid year meeting will be on January 18th and the topic planned is Legal Issues in School Nursing. The spring meeting will be in honor of School Nurses Day and will be on May 9th. Nurses from other regions may attend our offerings at a small fee. Check the COASN website www.coasn.org closer to the dates for more specific details. The next board meeting will be on Wednesday, October 18th . Contact a board member for more information.

COASN BOARD for 2006-07

• President – Kate King
• President-Elect – Lisa Kauffman
• Vice President - MaryLee Rippl
• Past President – Sue Casto
• Secretary – Amy Vereb
• Treasurer – Laurie Tufts
• OASN Representative – Joan Keith
• Membership Chair - Carol Lynn O' Neill
• Webmaster - Judy Harmon
• Hospitality - Chris McMahon

Respectfully submitted,
Joan Keith, RN, MEd., NCSN COASN Rep.

The board members for the 2006-2007 school year are as follows:

• Candi Hendershot - President
• Laurie Gladieux - President- Elect
• Kate Malone - Past President
• Martie Moline - Treasurer
• Sara Velasquez - Secretary
• Maureen Knowles - NW Rep to OASN
• Mary Beth Durbin and Mary Martin - Newsletter
• Ann Cipriani - Membership Chairperson
• Rosemary Timmins and Mary Schwartz - Ways and Means

The next meeting for the board will be held in Bowling Green on August 30th at 5 pm at a restaurant to be determined. Goals will be set and the plans for the winter and spring meetings will be discussed. Ideas and suggestions for the upcoming year are always welcome. Please feel free to contact any member of the board with your ideas.

The fall conference is scheduled for Wednesday, October 4th from 5:00 to 7:15 at Stone Oak Country Club. The speaker will be Liz Skaff, a Perrysburg psychologist, who has expertise in the area of cutting/self-harm. Dinner is included. The registration price covers the dinner.

Respectfully submitted, Maureen Knowles, NW Rep

NEOASN held their Spring meeting on Saturday, May 13, 2006 at the Cuyahoga County Board of Health offices. Following a fabulous breakfast, president, Kathy Armstrong led a short business meeting and recognized the work of her outgoing Board members and committee chairpersons. New officers were elected and sworn in.

The NEOASN Board for 2006-2007 is:

• President: Deb Aloshen
• Vice President: Tish Perrin
• Secretary: Mary Ellen Shannon
• Treasurer: Amy Anter
• President Elect: Elizabeth Anderson
• OASN Rep.: Mary Massey
• Past President: Kathy Armstrong
• Membership: Chris Bell
• Newsletter: Susan Inscore

Two CEU offerings were available for those attending the Spring meeting. “Legal Issues for Nurses” or “CPR for the Healthcare Provider”.

NEOASN thanks past-president, Kathy Armstrong, for her efforts to increase membership and communication. We had excellent speakers and good attendance at both of our meetings this year, as well as good food and the chance to get to know other nurses in our region.

Deb Aloshen and her new Board are working on ideas for programs for this coming year. Members who have an idea to share or wish to become more actively involved at the regional level are encouraged to contact our new president, Deb Aloshen via email, trekker975@yahoo.com.

The SWOSNA board meeting/transition meeting was held May 16, 2006 at Sycamore Hospital in Dayton, OH. SWOSNA membership grew to 176 members during the 2005-2006 year.

The officers for the2006/07 year are:

• President: Eva Garchar
• President-Elect: Judy Marrinan
• OASN Rep.: Joan Hlinomaz
• Secretary: Judy Fehr
• Treasurer: Traci Hummer
• Membership: Judy Ganguly
• Newsletter: Peggy Brockmeier
• Public Relations: Dawn Abbott

Cheri Hunkemoeller
• Webmaster: Juliet Kolde (Transitioning web-master with Peggy Brockmeier & Kay Larson)
• Ways and Means: Kay Larson and
  Pat Roach
• Historian: Jenny Boles

SWOSNA voted to contribute $500 to the OASN political advocacy effort and made a donation to the OASN NASN conference basket.

Eva Garcher surveyed all school districts in the 17 counties in the SWOSNA region regarding school nursing services. The final report is available upon request. This document paints an interesting picture of how school districts are meeting the health needs of southwest Ohio children. A trend that SWOSNA will watch is that some districts are hiring RN's and are using titles other than “school nurse” to avoid hiring ODE licensed school nurses.

The first SWOSNA Board meeting for the 2006/07 year will be August 14, 2006. The general membership meetings for the upcoming year will be held on:

Wed., September 20, 4:30 - 7:30, Holiday Inn Dayton Mall, Miamisburg
Thurs., November 16, 4:30 – 7:30, location TBA
Tues., April 24, 4:30 – 7:30, location TBA

Respectfully submitted,
Joan Hlinomaz RN, MS, NCSN

OASN....It works for you!

OASN is currently 526 members strong! Your membership supports your profession. Our executive director, officers, and committee members are tireless in their pursuit of excellence when it comes to advocating both for students AND for school nurses. We are lucky to have such dedicated workers, but the organization is only as strong as each individual member. We ALL have a role in improving health care services to children, and educating legislators, the public and our own school administrators.

As you consider taking an active role in your professional organization, we have an incentive for you. If you recruit a new OASN member, both of your names will be entered into a lottery to win FREE CONFERNCE REGISTRATION. In order to qualify for the drawing, the new member must complete the membership application to OASN/NASN by December 15, 2006. Membership applications are available @ the oasn website. Click on the membership link.

Many hands make for light work and 526 heads are definitely better than one! If you know of a colleague that is not an OASN member, share the benefits of membership with them; take them to a regional meeting, or invite them to the annual conference.

Thanks to all of you who have responded to our plea to update member email addresses! If your email addresses changes, please send an update to membership@oasn.org.

The Annual NASN Conference held in NYC in June was stimulating and exciting. Those who were not able to attend really missed out on valuable information that was presented. The “Big Apple” provided unlimited opportunities for exciting entertainment, good food and networking with other school nurses across the nation and it is tax deductible if you itemize. Many nurses bring their spouses (significant others) and their children who explore whatever city the conference is, utilize the hotel facilities etc., while their mother (or dad) is attending meetings and workshops. Next year the conference will be held in Nashville, Tennesse.

During the BOD meeting it was announced that NASN has hired Amy Garcia as our new Executive Director. A reception was held to welcome her and to provide the BOD an opportunity to meet her.

NASN is still completing its move into our new home in Silver Springs Md. During the BOD meeting we were shown a video of our new “digs”. It looks great! The location is very near to Washington, DC and it is also close to other national organizations, who share many of our concerns, such as the ANA and the National School Board Association. The next BOD meeting (January ’07) will be held in Washington, DC so that we will be able to see our new office. The Executive Committee will also host a reception in our new headquarters inviting other key organizations in the DC area and also Congressional Representatives and Senate members.

NASN was represented at an invitational summit on School Support Staff with other organizations such as NASP, ASCA, SSWAA, NAPSO and NAPSA. The purpose of the summit was to plan and implement ways to increase student support staff involvement in school improvement.

Look for an interview in the School Health Professional Magazine done on Sue Will, NASN President and Amy Garcia, Executive Director.

Sincerely, Aurelia Barney OASN Rep. to NASN

Norma Nikkola, RN, MS, a school nurse in Fairborn City Schools since 1975, has been selected as OASN School Nurse of the Year for 2006-2007. She is currently the coordinator of Health Services in Fairborn Schools and has primary responsibility for approximately 2500 students at Baker Middle School and Fairborn High School. Fairborn Schools face some unique issues due to the close proximity of Wright Patterson Air Force Base. Many students come from military families or foreign countries and high turnover or family separations are common. Providing emotional support for those students and their families, especially during wartime, has been an additional role for her.

Fairborn Schools have benefited from her energetic pursuit to improve health and maintain a safe environment. Sometimes that means sharing information with custodians in the buildings or the maintenance staff on the playgrounds. Sometimes it means collaborating on staff wellness projects with the Health Improvement Team that she chairs. She is involved in health screenings and health fairs that are open to the community. She co-authored the grant to bring AED’s into her schools and wrote the protocols for their use. She is a resource for disaster preparedness after receiving training as an instructor from NASN and serves as a member of the district crisis committee. She writes articles for newsletters and shares knowledge gained from regular attendance at state and national conferences. The list of her activities goes on and on.

Norma has shown a commitment to research throughout her career. In the late 1970’s, her district was one of three in Ohio conducting blood pressure screenings on adolescents. The data was compiled by ODH. Efforts like this contributed to a revision of the national norms for adolescent blood pressure. Documenting the problem was not the end, though. Norma promoted BP screening and knows students who have benefited from her referrals and an earlier diagnosis of kidney or heart conditions. Body Mass Index data are also collected. This helped support a change for healthier food choices in the school cafeteria. Norma runs a support group during lunch focusing on nutritional guidance and collaborated with the food services director to develop a booklet encouraging healthy eating habits to send home to families.

School nurses across Ohio have benefited from her willingness to serve for many years on the boards of OASN/ NASN and Southwestern Ohio School Nurses Association. She has been a consistent voice since she has been elected to nearly every office on the OASN board and her long-range perspective is invaluable in leading our organization through the many challenges we face. She recognizes the power and importance of legislation for effective change and has worked on legislative committees and task forces to lobby at the state and national level, particularly for mandated school health services. A tireless worker, she had a major role when Ohio hosted the NASN conference in 2003. She helped to write strategic plans and position statements and is currently helping to update the Guide for School Nurses in Ohio. The nursing students’ that she mentors are fortunate to share her depth of knowledge and experience.

While some people slow down when they approach the 30-year milestone in a career, Norma took on more responsibility. Over the years, she built a solid network of strong relationships with the people and organizations she worked with, and she used those connections to make a difference in the health of children, the health of her community, and the profession of school nursing. Anyone who has ever worked with her knows that she is not just full of ideas, but she contributes more than her share to make things happen. She is enthusiastic and energetic and cares so much for the people around her. She is totally dedicated and we are proud to have her represent us as our School Nurse of the Year.