OASN Board Summer Retreat

The OASN Board summer retreat will be on July 24 and July 25 (Thursday and Friday) at Cherry Valley Lodge in Newark Ohio. Room cost is $109.00 a night. Any member may volunteer to join a work group or committee. We would be glad to have your input. The summer retreat is where we make a lot of plans and lay a lot of the groundwork for the coming year. If you would like to get involved, please contact Deb Strouse or Renee Besecker.

Respectfully submitted,

Deborah L. Strouse
OASN President

president@oasn.org

Over 500 nurses gathered in the Rotunda of the Statehouse on April 2, 2008 to celebrate Nurses Day at the Statehouse. Among the group were seven OASN members and one student, which included: Kathy Inderbitzin, Renee Besecker, Deb Strouse, Mary Kiplinger, Lauren Brown, Carolyn Bernard, Norma Nikkola and student, Lisa Fleege (all pictured at left).

Nurses were welcomed by Barb Nash, ONA President and Senator Sue Morano, wife, mother of three, and a practicing RN. The Legislator of the Year Award was presented to House Minority Leader, Joyce Beatty. The next session included an Issues Panel Presentation. Sponsoring organizations had an opportunity to briefly share their work and concerns with the assembled group. Our OASN President, Kathy Inderbitzin, reviewed the increased demands on school nurses and the fact that Ohio ranks 45 among the states in school nurse to student ratio. After the Panel Discussion, Representative Jim Raussen and Senator Kevin Coughlin talked about the present status of Health Care Reform in Ohio.

Following the morning program, lunch was served and the tables were arranged by area to facilitate local legislators joining their constituents to discuss matters of concern specific to their home district. The OASN members were spread out and represented the Southwest, Central, Northeast and Northwest regions of our organization. Those of us at the table where I was seated were joined by Representative Fessler and her mother. During our dining time, Representative Fessler had each of us share an accounting of our "typical day." We discussed school nurse to student ratios and the fact that school nurses are not mandated in Oho. She shared some strategies that we might try in the future to help increase our visibility with legislators. She emphasized the grass-roots effort approach and the importance of establishing a personal relationship with our individual district legislators.

After lunch, the OASN group gathered with Senator Fedor to discuss issues and to tell her how excited we were that both she and Senator Morano would be attending our state conference that coming weekend. Senator Fedor was a teacher for 18 years and is now serving her second term in the Ohio Senate. During her eight year legislative career she has co- sponsored or introduced numerous Bills dealing with children's health and nursing legislation. Senator Morano is the newly appointed chair to the Nursing Education Study Committee which is investigating ways to improve the quality of nursing education and make it more affordable to those who want to go back to school. Both are true friends of school nursing!

If you ever have the opportunity to attend Nurses Day at the Statehouse- JUST DO IT! You'll not regret the knowledge gained from the experience and the people you'll meet!

Norma Nikkola RN, MS

The spring SWOSNA General Membership meeting was held on Tuesday, April 8, 2008 at the Warren County Career Center, Lebanon, OH. By-law changes to the officers' terms of office were voted in. The changes will align SWOSNA board member terms of office criteria with NASN and OASN.

Eva Garchar was recognized as Ohio School Nurse of the Year, and newly voted in President-elect for OASN. Jeanie Bochenek was installed as the 2008-2010 SWOSNA Representative to OASN. All current and outgoing officers were honored by Judy Marrinan, SWOSNA President. The business meeting was followed by a CEU offering by Cathy St. John, "Why Abstinence Matters." The SWOSNA Board of Directors will meet for their spring meeting in May. This will be the transition meeting for new officers.

Respectfully Submitted,
Joan Hlinomaz RN, BSN, MS, NCSN
Outgoing Representative to OASN

NWOASN conducted their spring membership meeting on May 7, 2008. The meeting followed our spring CE event on Autism Spectrum Disorders presented by Linell Weinburg of the Autism Society of NW Ohio.

Our new president, Denise Kaufman, and president- elect, Beth Roth, were inducted into office. The following is a list of NWOASN board members:

President: Denise Kaufman
Ways & Means: Mary Schwartz
President-Elect: Beth Roth
Membership: Ann Cipriani
Past President: Laurie Gladiuex
Newsletter: Mary Martin & Mary Beth Durbin
Secretary: Meg Sullivan
Website: Jan Overmeyer
Treasurer: Alice Bruning
Conference Chair: Maureen Knowles
OASN Rep: Marie Kraus

The treasurer's and secretary's reports were read and approved. The treasurer's reports indicates deposits in checking and certificates of deposit accounts in excess of $9,000.

The OASN Rep reported on the OASN board's work on drafting rules to the current medication law, ORC 3313.713. The OASN board will meet this summer. Members may be asked to assist with surveys this fall so that OASN can gather additional data on school nursing in Ohio . This data is necessary when presenting to legislators in our efforts with mandated school nursing and increasing school nurses in Ohio.

A motion was made and accepted to donate $50.00 from NW to the OASN basket for the national conference.

The ways and means committee reported a profit of $90 from saleables from the State Conference and a $31 profit from the 50/50 raffle at the spring meeting.

Denise Kaufman was commended as president-elect on providing three excellent conferences during the past year for the members of Northwest. Maureen Knowles and the conference committee were also acknowledged for the tremendous amount of work they did in providing an outstanding conference at Sawmill Creek. Maureen announced that next year's conference is schedule for March 27-29 at Sawmill Creek and planning is already underway.

The newsletter committee announced that they are developing a sharing corner for the newsletter. They would like members to submit practice pearls, school nurse stories, etc. for this section of the newsletter. The newsletter is emailed to members and available on the OASN website.

As new business, Mary Kiplinger reminded members that Senators Fedor and Morano held a press conference to announce that the governor had signed a resolution declaring today, May 7th, as school nurse day. Mary advised members that an aide from Senator Fedor's office has indicated her willingness to meet with members this summer to discuss issues related to school nursing.

Respectfully submitted,
Marie Kraus, NW Rep

SE had their Spring Meeting on Sunday, April 27th at 2:30 PM at Cherry Valley Lodge Conference Center in Newark, OH. Five members met before attending the evening pre-conference program for the Regional Conference.

New officers were elected:

President - Tammy Lorbach - Jackson Schools - Jackson County
Vice President - Angie Lewis - Rock Hill Schools - Lawrence County
Secretary - Position open
Treasurer - Rachel Klaiber - Rock Hill Schools - Lawrence County
State Rep - Annette Scott - Ironton Schools - Lawrence County

Dues were collected and left a balance of $395.54 in our treasury. We voted to contribute $25.00 to the NASN basket; the money was given to Annette to give to the OASN Board.

It was discussed how difficult it was for us to be able to meet at any other time due to work conflicts.

These are minutes submitted by Lesa Slack, President

Annette Scott, RN, BSN
SE representative to OASN

The meeting was held on May 7, 2008, National School Nurse Day. Carolyn Bernard, Vice President, put together an outstanding dinner/ CNE/ business meeting and celebratory evening at the Fawcett Center located on the Ohio State University campus. Approximately fifty-five attended the event. President Juanita Smith presided over a brief business meeting, recognizing the current and incoming board members and met afterwards with the new COASN board to schedule an August meeting date. President Smith gave special recognition to the departing board members, a special thanks to Amy Hotler for her excellent work on the newsletter, and those moving onto OASN board positions: Carolyn Bernard, Member at Large; and Joan Keith, Treasurer. Kate King, graciously conducted the induction ceremony for the 2008-09 COASN Board and Committee Chairs.

Gabi Karpowicz, gave a very interesting 1.0 CNE presentation titled: "Nursing Laws and Rules vs School Law." This presentation discussed who is permitted to supervise and evaluate a school nurse's nursing practice; explained the School Nurse Scope of Practice related to Medication Administration in the school setting; and described the School Nurse's Scope of Practice related Non-Medication Related Nursing Tasks.

OASN President Debra Strouse presented a very entertaining and thought provoking multi-media presentation on School Nursing and discussed why School Nurses need to step up to become involved in their professional organization when called upon to write letters to legislators, testify at the Ohio Statehouse, make phone calls and answer surveys. All are also asked to become more involved in supporting the campaigns of nurses who are running for public office. Example: Jan Lanier of the Delaware area who is running for Ohio House of Representatives.

Carolyn O'Neill was recognized for her outstanding efforts for the past several years as the membership chair as COASN received the 2008 OASN plaque for greatest percentage of increase in membership for this past year. The COASN School Nurse of the Year Award was presented to Joan Keith of Upper Arlington City Schools. Randi Carnahan of Worthington City Schools was noted for her recent honor in being awarded the Ohio PTA School Nurse Award.

In April, COASN had approximately thirteen members attend the OASN annual conference. The next COASN newsletter will be published in May. The finances of COASN remain healthy with an approximate balance of $4868.50. Membership is at 105 members. COASN continues to have a website at www.coasn.org.

COASN Board and Committee Chairs for 2008- 09:
President - Juanita Smith
President - Elect - Carol Lynne O'Neil
VP/ Programs - Debra Judy
Treasurer - Laurie Tufts
Secretary - Liz Jones
OASN Representative - Ann Underwood
Fundraising - Chris Unger
Hospitality - Nancy Lynskey
Newsletter - Deborah Stoner
Membership - Nancy Click
Library / Historian - Sharon Clay
Public Relations - Barbara Snyder
Legislation - Kate King
Webmaster - Ginny Black

Respectfully Submitted,
Joan Keith, RN, MEd., NCSN

The Annual meeting for NEOASN was held on Thursday evening, May 8, in the Community Room at the Cleveland Clinic Family Health Center in Strongsville. We started the evening with a fabulous selection of wrapped sandwiches, fresh cut fruits, and salad, followed by cookies and pastries AND the opportunity to visit with each other and celebrate a belated School Nurse Day!

Outgoing president, Elizabeth Anderson, called the business meeting to order. After reports from the officers, the election of new officers was held. The NEOASN Board for 2008-2009:

President: Amy Anter
Past President: Elizabeth Anderson
President Elect: Deb Weisbarth
Vice President: Pam Katz
2nd Vice President: Rita Roth
Secretary: Cathy Fedor
Treasurer: Lisa Mason
OASN Rep.: Mary Massey
Membership: Chris Bell
Newsletter: Susan Inscore

Highlights of current practice and legislative issues were shared with the members, particularly related to medication administration by unlicensed personnel in the schools and the need for better data collection to accurately reflect the experience and credentials of those who provide "health services" in Ohio Schools. Members who received surveys sent out by the Ohio Department of Health this month were urge to take the time to complete them and send them in. This information is vitally important to our ability to communicate effectively with legislators and bring about some needed changes.

Our speaker was Bob Gray, a nationally certified athletic trainer at the Cleveland Clinic, as well as, a wealth of experience working with youth in sports. His presentation was titled "Sports Medicine for the School Nurse: Health and Wellness Issues Affecting the Interscholastic Athlete." He covered common and life-threatening injuries, and gave a thorough description of concussion symptoms and assessment tools. He strongly advocates for preventing athletes who have had a head injury, whether or not they had loss of consciousness, from returning to play until the injury is completely healed. He gave a brief look at some of the evaluation tools for memory and processing speed used in monitoring recovery, particularly a computerized test called "Impact."

Mary Massey
NE Rep. to OASN

The 2008 OASN Annual Conference was a great success! Over 150 school nurses from across the state convened at Saw Mill Creek the first weekend of April. School nurses listened to dynamic speakers, such as, Mary Kay Slowwikowski, and learned about leadership styles and how to use these traits to the school nurses' advantage. Speakers discussed the effects of lack of sleep on the school aged child and the adolescent. The Ohio Board of Nursing presented a session on the "School Nurse Decision Making Model" and fielded many questions from nurses. There was also presentations on Safe Haven and Bullying in schools to name just a few points of interest.

The Endowment dinner boasted a fashion show as we munched on hors d'oeuvres and tasted Ohio wines. The proceeds from this event go to the OASN Endowment fund.

The first person drawn for the $500 recipient to attend the NASN conference in New Mexico is not able to attend. Her alternate, Joan Hlinomaz, from the SW region, will be the lucky one to go to NASN this summer.

Plans are well under way for the 2009 conference. It will be held at Saw Mill Creek March 27- 29, 2009. We are working on another fun and informational conference, so please plan to join us next year!

Maureen Knowles
Vice president/OASN conference chair

Congratulations to the Cincinnati Health Department nursing staff, who are the 2008 recipients of the 16th annual Florence Nightingale Awards for Nursing. This year's recipients are Ms. Sheila Hicks who received the Christ Hospital Award, Ms. Karen Thompson who received the Mercy Healthcare Partners Award, and Ms. Margaret McLaughlin who is this year's Dean's Award Recipient.

The University of Cincinnati College of Nursing created the Florence Nightingale Awards in 1992 to honor the extraordinary dedication and achievements of local nurses working in direct patient care. The winners were recognized at a reception on April 24, 2008 at the Hyatt Regency in Cincinnati. Board of Advisor Award winners received $1,000 and a bust of Florence Nightingale. Dean's Award recipients received $400 and a commemorative plaque.

These nurses provide services full-time to Cincinnati Public Schools.

Kim Toole RN, MSN, NCSN
Interim Nursing Director
Cincinnati Health Department

OASN Membership Chair

The third annual Endowment Event, themed, "A Taste of Ohio", was held in conjunction with the OASN conference and took place on Friday, April 4, 2008 in Settler's Cabin at Sawmill Creek Resort and Conference Center in Huron, OH. It was attended by 36 "angels" and thoroughly enjoyed by all. At this time I would like to welcome our 12 newest angels: Nancy Ponish, Darlene Hernandez, Diana Erikson, Laurie Gladieux, Pat Gunter, Susie Rice, Chris Skolnik, Heidi Steiner, Denise Kaufman, Susan Montgomery, Jan and Ron Overmeyer.

The food and appropriate wines served at the three stations included:
#1 Fruit Kabobs with Yogurt dip and Assorted Cheeses accompanied by Pinot Grigio.
#2 Sausage stuffed Mushroom Caps, Swedish meatballs; Crab Cakes and Bruschetta with Pinot Noir.
#3 Mini Brownies and assorted Cheesecakes along with Banana Foster and Riesling.

Skip Morrisson, the sales manager from Mid-Ohio Wines, Inc., not only poured our wine samples, but also gave us the history of each and information about the 3 producing local Ohio wineries.

The Shops at Sawmill Creek provided a lovely informal fashion show during the time frame and displayed many beautiful outfits. The buyers from the shop also shared many secrets about "what's the in thing" to wear this spring. The gift certificate they provided was an incentive for many attendees to go on a later shopping spree and special, new outfits were seen at the banquet on Saturday night.

Norma welcomed everyone to this gala event and instructions were given that there would be NO talk of Head Lice, Asthma or Diabetes that evening! It was suggested that everyone take the opportunity to get to know each other better personally and just rest, relax and have a fun filled time-something school nurses seldom do!

The decorations, nametags and the gift of a small bottle of champagne were appreciated. Best of all was the fact that $25 per person will be donated to the OASN Education and Research Endowment Fund which sponsors the Pat Baum Educational Scholarship, the Carolyn Azbell Research Award and the raffle prize given to a conference attendee who is planning to go to the NASN conference this summer.

My thanks to all who attended as well as to committee members: Juliet Kolde, Joan Keith, Debra Stoner, Heidi Stoner and Joan Hlinomaz.

We hope to see you again next year, bring a friend and remember that Endowment Fund donations may be made at any time of the year. See our website for instructions! (www.oasn.org)

Norma Nikkola, Endowment Chair
nnikkola@earthlink.net Donate online

Nominations are now being accepted for the Ohio School Nurse of the Year Award. This award, which is the highest award presented annually by OASN, recognizes one school nurse who demonstrates excellence in school nursing practice and leadership in school health.

Candidates must be currently employed, full-time Ohio school nurses with at least five years experience. Active membership in OASN for the current and previous two years is required. The selections will be made on the basis of the school nurse's contributions to school health and school nursing practice. This would include clinical skills, creative programs, leadership, research projects, political and legislative contributions, and community and professional involvement. Evidence of excellence in school nursing practice will be based on Scope and Standards of Professional School Nursing Practice (2005, ANA).

The nomination forms take time to prepare and must involve the nurse being nominated. Completed nomination packets are due June 15. Forms may be obtained from our website www.oasn.org in the "AWARDS" section. Even if you are not considering a nomination for this coming year, take a look at the forms and criteria for selection as they appear online. It will give you an idea of all that is involved and a greater appreciation of the accomplishments of those who have earned the Ohio School Nurse of the Year Award!

Hi OASN members,

I am no longer your President of OASN as Deb Strouse was installed as the new president at the OASN conference. I want to take this opportunity to THANK all of the OASN members for supporting me for the last two years. It was an honor serving as your president and representing this outstanding organization. I learned so much and feel that I gained more than I ever imagined!! THANK YOU from the bottom of my heart!!

However, you are not entirely rid of me yet. Recently, Aurelia Barney relinquished her position as the Ohio Board of Director on the NASN board. I was appointed by the OASN president to complete Aurelia's term. This is a short appointment from now until the end of January 2009. At that time, OASN will need to elect a replacement for Aurelia. Thank You Aurelia-- you did an awesome job and leave shoes that will be hard to fill!!

Ohio is fortunate to have a strong group of school nurses. Your organization works hard to represent you to the Ohio legislators. As an OASN member, you need to help the organization by contacting legislators to help get the message out that All of Ohio's Children Deserve a School Nurse. Together we can and will get school nurses mandated in Ohio and at a safe ratio of school nurses to pupils. Thank You for doing so much for the school children in Ohio.

Sincerely,

Kathy Inderbitzin, RN, BSN, MEd.

OASN President, 2006-2008

SCHOOL NURSE OF THE YEAR DEADLINE IS JUNE 15TH

Nominations for 2008-2009 Ohio School Nurse of the Year Award must be postmarked by June 15th. Information and the nomination procedure are available on the OASN website www.oasn.org under "Awards." Take a little time to look at the categories, then start making a list of all the things you do throughout the year. You might be surprised to find you really do have good examples for all the standards of school nursing practice! It's a good way to do a self-evaluation of your work and set some goals for next year and start building a file for a School Nurse of the Year nomination in the future! This award recognizes excellence in school nursing practice, whether you have 5 or 35 years of experience!

PAT BAUM SCHOLARSHIP DEADLINE AUGUST 1ST

The deadline for the $500 Patricia M. Baum Scholarship award is August 1st. The application is available on the OASN website www.oasn.org. Anyone working on an advanced degree or wanting to go to a conference or another educational opportunity needs to remember this potential benefit of OASN membership. Last year's winner was Julie Kolde of SWOSNA.

Information was not available about our new OASN Secretary at the time of the last newsletter. So her information was not included in the "meet the candidates" information.

We are happy to have Kathy Strasser of Norwood City Schools in the Southwest Ohio Region join us on the OASN Board as our new Secretary. Please read about Kathy below.

Kathy is a school nurse for Hamilton County Educational Service center and is contracted for services as a district nurse for Norwood City Schools since 1997. She coordinates and supervises health services with six health aides for six buildings with an overall enrollment of 2700 students and 350 staff.

Kathy received her BSN and school nurse certification from Mount St. Joseph, and her MS in nursing leadership from Ball State. She was also the 2004- 2005 Ohio School Nurse of the Year, and obtained National Certification in 2006.

Kathy is a member of SWOSNA, OASN, and NASN (since 1997), and has served on her regional board. She has served on the boards of many community organizations. She also has been a Eucharistic minister and mass coordinator for St Mary's in Aurora, Indiana since 2003.

Kathy shares OASN's goals of encouraging all school nurses to become members of their professional organizations. She expresses belief that this path leads to decreased professional isolation and increased knowledge on current trends and practices, as well as, a larger voice as a group.

We would like everyone to join us in welcoming Kathy to the OASN board.

There are many opportunities available to ANY member to participate! If you would like to get more involved in a committee or a short term project, please contact a board member or the Executive Director, Renee Besecker.

Respectfully submitted,

Deborah L. Strouse
President, OASN