As we approach Spring, there are three topics on my mind for our membership. They are (in no particular order):
1. Association elections - please vote; enough said.
2. Conference and membership activities: Read more about the conference in this newsletter and and encourage others to attend and to become members.
3. The Governor's Plan for Education Reform. Read below:

By the time this newsletter is published, some of the information regarding the Governor's plan may be obsolete; as at the time this is written, the actual bill language is not yet out.

OASN has had representation at all of the Governor's Education Reform meetings. We have consistently given the message that the best method to meet the needs of ALL of Ohio's children, including those with non-academic barriers to learning, is to provide "highly qualified" support staff. Specifically, we have emphasized qualified School Nurses, School Counselors, School Social Workers, and School Psychologists. Many of those groups have advocated the same. We have further provided that current evidence based practice and research show that student success and outcomes for students with health barriers to learning is best achieved by intervention of highly qualified school nurses (who have the appropriate education and expertise). We will continue to work toward this end.

On February 5th, five members of OASN along with Sam Whitaker, OASN's legislative advisor, met with two representatives from the Governor's office to ask for clarifications and to present legislative goals based upon Governor Strickland's budget proposal. This is a first step toward positioning school nurses to remain involved in this legislative process. At this time no action is required as we have not seen the actual bill. Once the language is published, members will receive further information.

OASN applauds the Governor's emphasis on the wellness and health challenges that create barriers for many students in their attempt to be academically successful. However, the plan presents some issues that OASN may need to address through the legislative process in order that the school health services students receive are of high quality and administered by the appropriate personnel educated to deliver them. Below are goals that OASN recommends based upon the budget proposal:

• OASN recommends that where current health service delivery in a school district exceeds the Governor's proposal that those services and personnel continue in the same manner. Many districts currently provide highly qualified school nursing services at or near the nationally recommended level.
• OASN recommends that the registered nurse be licensed as a school nurse through the Ohio Department of Education per the Ohio Revised Code 3313.68 be upheld, the only exception being for personnel employed by local health departments to provide school health services who are not required to have a school nurse license.
• OASN recommends that school nurses be present in a ratio of one school nurse to 750 students in the state of Ohio. Large school districts would need more than one school nurse to provide the required highly qualified services to students and supervision of LPNs (who DO NOT have the required scope of practice to practice independently in a school setting, by law).
• OASN recommends that the school nurse be responsible for the role of "wellness coordinator". Though the title is not defined, coordination of wellness activities within organizational units, the school district, and the entire school community are appropriately in the domain of the school nurse.
• OASN supports the administration of medications to students only by qualified health care professionals to be implemented in the year 2012. OASN believes assigning only qualified health care professionals to medication administration will reduce errors and promote better management of the student's health condition while in school.

Respectfully submitted,

Deborah Strouse,RN, BSN, MEd, NCSN
President, Ohio Association of School Nurses

OASN SIGNS - ON

OASN recently signed on to the Voices For Children petition to thank Congress for the passage of the reauthorization SCHIP. Passage of the reauthorization of SCHIP on the federal level will allow Ohio to move ahead with the implementation of the SCHIP expansion that has already been passed by the Ohio General Assembly.

NEEDED....RETIRED FRIENDS FOR OASN

Want a way to continue to be involved in school nursing after retirement but not commit yourself to a schedule? We have the perfect answer! We would like to establish a roster of retired school nurses who would be willing to occasionally be called upon for a day, maybe two, of their time.

If you're interested, these are the type of "duties" you would be asked to perform:

--Represent OASN at school health stakeholder meetings in Columbus.
--Exhibit for OASN at various school health venues/ workshops.

Retirees, you still have a lot to contribute, it's an opportunity to view school nursing from a different perspective. In addition, you'll have fun!

For further information and/or to sign up, please email the Executive Director, Renee Besecker, at exdirector@oasn.org .

Thank you for your consideration.

Renee

The SWOSNA Board met in January to discuss the results from the member needs survey.

The SWOSNA General meeting for January on Child Advocacy at the Children's Medical Center was cancelled due to poor weather. This meeting was rescheduled for Wednesday March 4, 2009 at the Children's Medical Center in Dayton. SWOSNA has completed the OASN "Who is providing Health Services in Ohio Schools" surveys. Thank you to all the SWOSNA members who worked so hard to get those completed. Be sure to come to the OASN conference and enter to win the basket raffle that SWOSNA has prepared.

Respectfully Submitted,

Jeanie M. Bochenek, RN, MS, NCSN
Southwest Representative to OASN

Northwest held a meeting on Saturday, February 7, 2009 at St. Luke's Hospital following our CE event. The CE topic was S.C.O.P.E. through NASN.

Meeting minutes from October were read and approved.

Elections were held for the positions of President - Elect and Secretary. Two members nominated for these positions were running unopposed. The members elected Nancy Murdock as President -Elect and Erica Spychalski as Secretary. Treasurer, Alice Bruning, agreed to serve another term as there were no nominations for this position.

Membership reported a total of 87 members. It was noted that the reminder postcards that were mailed appeared to increase renewals.

The newsletter chairs, Mary Martin and Mary Beth Durbin, are unable to continue in their positions. They have done a wonderful job for Northwest. Interested members were asked to submit their names to the president. The next newsletter deadline is April 1st.

The treasurer report was reviewed an approved. The accounts are performing satisfactorily in this current economic climate.

The ways and means committee has continued to sell t-shirt and bears throughout the year. A 50/50 raffle was held during our meeting.

Marie Kraus, NW OASN Rep, thanked those members that assisted in the completion of the phone surveys for OASN. Information was obtained from almost all of the districts. Two districts had refused to respond. Members were advised to wait for direction from the executive board on the Governor's budget proposal. If letters or phone calls are needed, an email burst will be sent.

Kathy Inderbitzin, NASN Rep, reported that she just returned from the National Conference. She advised the members that the School nurse ratio bill will be reintroduced in the House under a new bill number. NASN is optimistic about the bill.

Northwest is hosting the State Conference at Sawmill Creek in Huron, Ohio. Maureen Knowles, OASN VP and Conference Chair, was unable to attend the NW meeting as she was participating in an OASN executive board conference call on the same day. She provided Marie Kraus with information to present to the membership. Conference plans are on track and the committee is actively working. The conference registration packet was at the printer and should be mailed out this week. It was sent to the webmaster and should be on the web site soon also. The Conference is March 27, 28 & 29th. Members are encouraged to attend. The entertainment following the banquet is an improvisational theatre troupe from Toledo. It should be lots of fun and we would like participants to stay for this event following the banquet. The Banquet and entertainment are included in the registration fee.

The next Northwest meeting is scheduled for May 6, 2009 (Nurse's Day) at St. Luke's Hospital. The topic will focus on nutrition for woman (us) and our speaker is a registered dietician with a doctorate.

Respectfully submitted,
Marie Kraus, NW Rep

Fall Meeting ~ November 6th, 2008
Conference Center at North Pointe, Columbus Ohio

In Attendance: Angie Lewis, Gail Pohlman, Patty Gleichauf, Lori Moore

Treasurer Report
-There is currently $371.00 in the SEOASN account.

Ohio School Board Conference Basket
-To help promote school nursing, OASN requests that each region donate funds to help make a basket for the Ohio School Board Conference.
-It was voted on and approved to donate $25.00 for the basket.

Ohio School Nurse Association Regional Basket -Each region in the Ohio School Nurses Association makes a basket to be raffled off at the state conference. The theme for the conference is "Sowing the Seeds of Good Student Health".
-Annette Scott, Southeastern Regional Rep., is planning to attend the conference and will prepare and deliver the basket. It was voted on and approved to spend $50.00 on the basket.

Spring Meeting Agenda
-It was discussed that Jackson would be the most central location for the spring meeting. Lori Moore and Tammy Lorbach will look into offering CEU at the meeting. Please email Lori or Tammy if you have any ideas/topics.
-No date for the spring meeting has been scheduled yet, more info will come later.

Secretary
- Lori Moore has volunteered to fill the position of secretary. Lori was on the nominating committee, so we will need someone to fill that position.

OASN Survey
-Annette is in the process of updating the email list and getting more detailed information for the state (OASN) school nurse survey. If she calls you, please be willing to supply information for the survey.

SEOASN Membership
-We had a disappointing turn out for the fall meeting.

Annette and her husband, Hugh were able to attend the Inauguration in Washington, DC. She received complimentary tickets from her local congressman, Charlie Wilson. She will have pictures to share and a letter she wrote about her experience. If you'd like to have them emailed to you, then let her know. (scotfmly@att.net).

Annette Scott, RN, BSN
SE representative to OASN

The COASN board met Dec. 2nd and voted to give $25 to OASN to pay off the raffle basket that was given at the Ohio School Board conference in November. We also voted instead of hosting a dance to support the OASN endowment fund that we would just send $250 from our organization.

We had many of our members volunteer to do the OASN surveys and I really appreciated the 2 retired school nurses helping us out. Our former OASN president, Sherry Bjerke did phone calls to about one third of our school districts and Betty Giammar completed the ones the rest of us tried contacting and were unable to reach. A great big thanks went out to our President Juanita Smith (Columbus City), Joan Keith (Upper Arlington), Gayle McCreery (one of the nurses in my district -Groveport Madison Local) and Lynn DiLoreto (Urbana) who helped me complete our calls. We also tried to invite the nurses to our January 22nd COASN meeting and to become a member of both COASN and OASN/NASN. We did get 15 new members in COASN ( in order to attend our free dinner/CEU meeting on Jan. 22nd, nurses had to pay $20 to become a member!!!).

Our organization had a new record when 107 members sent in RSVP's to attend our January meeting! Some didn't end up attending because of snow in preceding days and illness but we still set an attendance record! COASN extends appreciation to Roche Pharmaceuticals who funded a delicious buffet dinner at the Fawcett Center on the OSU campus.

Joan Keith, (our OASN treasurer) received recognition in our business meeting preceding the speaker. She completed the NASN trainer course Managing Asthma Triggers in December at NASN headquarters. Joan presented her first course offering at Jones Middle School in Upper Arlington on February 11th. Dana Hardin M.D., Division Chief for the Endocrinology Department at Nationwide Children's Hospital and Assoc. Professor of Pediatrics at OSU gave our 2 contact hour Program - "A Diabetes Update: What's New and Implications for School Health". She first presented Roche's "Promoting Positive Behavior Change in Adolescents with Diabetes". Her power point and the Roche book we received gave some very interesting points. Dr. Hardin advised us to take the time to get to know our students and counsel parents to seek professional psychological help if their child shows signs of depression. We learned a lot about insulin pumps and how we can help parents and students cope, as well.

We concluded the evening with door prizes and the long awaited announcement of which lucky member present would receive the free registration to the NASN convention this year in Boston. Our fundraising efforts (school nurse denim shirts, nurse pins, coasters, handmade tissue holders and gift card holders) raised enough funds to allow us to award both the OASN registration at our October meeting and the NASN registration. The lucky winner was Barb Beck (Worthington schools). We picked 5 alternates and it ended up Barb can't go so the runner up Janette Hoffman (Columbus City) is very happy to be able to go. (You are invited to email me if you need a roommate for NASN as several plan to go and could use a roommate to defray the costs.)

Our board meeting occurred on February 4. The membership chairman announced we now have 153 members from 11 of our 14 counties which met one of our goals for the year! We are asked to submit names for Vice President and Treasurer to our Vice President Carol Lynne O'Neil to put on the slate of officers for next year. It was announced that Kate King is running for OASN Vice President. We then discussed the Governor's State of the State Address. It was decided to delay allocating any funds (as only 6 of us were present) until we meet again as a board on March 10th at 4:30. Some of us will meet to get more coasters ready for sale at OASN conference! Please plan on visiting us at OASN marketplace with great gifts for friends, family members, co-workers or perhaps your building secretary as Administrative Professionals Day is April 22nd!!!

Our May 5th location and meeting topic has not been finalized so please visit our website in April for more information on our last meeting of this year!!! Members will receive email notices!!!

Respectfully submitted,
Ann Underwood, R.N. B.S.N.
COASN Rep. to OASN

Save the date! The annual Spring membership meeting for NEOASN is scheduled for Saturday morning, May 2nd. Please plan to join us for an informative business meeting and guest speaker. Details will soon be on our website www.neoasn.org when they are finalized. The board is aware of the difficulty of travel time to evening meetings in our widespread region, so we are trying Saturday mornings again. Our meetings are a good opportunity to get together, share ideas, and learn more about the latest efforts of school nurses across the state to provide for the increasing needs of students, especially in these tough economic times.

Many, many thanks to the volunteers who made calls to every public school district in northeast Ohio. Special thanks to Pat Kovac, Heidi Steiner, Chris Bell, Lisa Mason, Amy Anter, Deb Weisbarth, Mary Pawlicki, Peggy Brown, Norma Okuma, Mary Massey, Chris Glasgo, Susan Inscore, Margaret Savarese, and Cathy Fedor. The data collected will provide a baseline of who is currently providing health services in Ohio's public schools. This data, in combination with the data collected last year showing the acuity of health issues among students, will give legislators a more accurate picture of the situation facing schools today.

Nominations are now being accepted for next year's officer elections. Contact our president, Amy Anter [aanter@ccbh.net]if you are interested. Participation in this regional organization is a great opportunity to grow professionally and you will be given support to learn the job. Please consider it. Don't forget, all board members can now be contacted directly by e- mail from the website, www.neoasn.org.

Mary Massey
NE Rep. to OASN

Having just returned from Washington DC with leadership training, a board meeting, and visits to the Hill, I am filled with information from NASN! I will try to highlight the important information and legislative issues (with my comments in italics).

• Plans are underway for the reintroduction of Representative McCarthy's bill known as the Student- to-School Nurse Improvement Act of 2008. This bill would create a pilot grant program for states to apply for money to increase the number of school nurses in their state. Ohio would be a state that would be considered due to our position of #43 on the NASN student to school nurse ratio ruler (we moved up 2 places).
• Congress is working to reauthorize the Elementary and Secondary School Act to prepare for the reauthorization of IDEA. NASN would like to include legislative language of specialized instructional support services throughout this bill (since school nurses are under this umbrella). This would pave the way for creating a National School Nurse/Coordinated School Health position within the leadership ranks of the US Department of Education. This would be a great addition at the state level also.
• NASN urges Congress to consider the practice of school nursing as being a cost-effective part of any legislation that deals with health care reform. (we do assist families in accessing SCHIP programs and are in the front line of preventative health care, among other things). In addition, NASN should be considered part of Health Information Technology legislation with regard to facilitation of a consistent system for automation of student health records.
• NASN has worked with the National Alliance for Nutrition and Activity and they are urging Congress to adopt the NANA recommendations for the reauthorization of the Child Nutrition Act. (Many of the legislator's aides that we met with concurred that their legislators are interested in the obesity/healthy nutrition of our school children issues.)
• The financial outlook for NASN is strong. NASN was awarded two grants at the end of the year that offset the loss that was taken with the stock market decline. NASN remains "cautiously optimistic".
• NASN is exploring divided dues. This would mean that a member joining or renewing could pay for the dues over a three month period. As NASN gets their money-then OASN would get theirs. This is not quite ready yet but will be soon.
• The benefits of membership are increasing with the additions of on line courses that are free to members or at a nominal price. The School Emergency module will be going to an online offering in the future.
• The HANDS and SCOPE models that have been around the nation have been doing very good as far as attendance. There will be a two day preconference train the trainer offering in Boston dealing with School Emergencies. (I am not sure what it will be titled so watch for the registration packet. Speaking of which..).
• The 41st Annual NASN Conference is in Boston June 25-28 - Transforming School Communities: Partners for Student Success. There is going to be a cruise in the Boston Harbor for the endowment dinner. The committee is asking all states to donate a silent auction item that will support the endowment. This item needs to be portable for those that are flying. **IMPORTANT NOTE**Registration for the conference can be done online at NASN.org-----there will be no brochures mailed out in an effort to go "green".

Respectfully submitted,

Kathy Inderbitzin
Ohio NASN Director

OASN CANDIDATE FOR NASN REPRESENTATIVE

Name: Kathy Inderbitzin RN, MEd, NCSN

School District of Employment: Washington Local

School Nurse Experience: 16 years experience from K-12

Education: Masters in Education at University of Toledo in Early Intervention, Bachelor of Education with Public Affair and Community Services- Certification in School Nursing from State of Ohio at UT, Diploma of Nursing from Toledo Hospital.

Awards and Certificates: Received a grant from University of Toledo to pursue Masters in Education with Early Intervention Specialist major; received grant from CDC for walking program at the elementary level; NCSN awarded in 2000.

Professional Affiliations and Offices Held: member of NEA, ASHA, NWOASN, OASN/NASN ; president, treasurer, Rep of NWOASN, President 2006-2008 of OASN; presently NASN Director for Ohio.

Community Involvement: active in church functions and member of church choir.

Ideas for School Nursing in Ohio: Educators in Ohio need to recognize the importance of school nurses in schools. The level of medical care, amount and types of medications, and the increased number of chronic diseases seen in schools is rising. Non medical staff are expected to deal with these cases in the absence of a qualified school nurse. This becomes problematic when districts are not required to employ a school nurse in the first place. Many parents are unaware of who is caring for their children while they are in school. Since we all know that Healthy Students are Better Learners, my hope for school nursing in Ohio is to increase the number of school nurses in schools to improve the availability of health services to all students in Ohio.

OASN CANDIDATE FOR NASN REPRESENTATIVE

Name: Mary Anne Moore RN, BSN

School District of Employment: Eastern Local School District - Meigs County

School Nurse Experience: School Nurse at Eastern Local since 2005.

Education: Associate of Science in Pre-Nursing - Ohio Valley College, Parkersburg WV Bachelor of Science in Nursing - Harding University, Searcy AK School Nurse Licensure- Wright State University, Dayton OH

Awards and Certificates: Certified CPR and AED Trainer

Professional Affiliations and Offices Held: National Association of School Nurses Ohio Association of School Nurses

Community Involvement: Member of Local Wellness Committee

Ideas for School Nursing in Ohio: Want to assist in the ongoing effort to mandate school nurses in every district. I would like to see better protection for school nurses who must advocate for high risk and special needs students when the school administration resists providing the accommodations guaranteed to them by federal law. I would like to see standards established for nurse/student ratios in the state of Ohio to ensure adequate care can be provided to every student.

OASN CANDIDATE FOR VICE- PRESIDENT

Name: Kate King RN, MS

School District of Employment: Columbus City Schools School Nurse Experience: 7 years, Middle school, Elementary school, IHP Committee 2004- present

Education: BSN - The University of Akron, MS -The Ohio State University, Post graduate education-Parish Nursing- Otterbein, School Nurse Licensure- The Ohio State University, Post-graduate study in School Nursing-Wright State University

Awards and Certificates: ACCN Clinical Nurse Specialist, Community Health Nursing 1994- 2005

Professional Affiliations and Offices Held: ONA, ANA, COASN- President 2006-07, Legislative Committee Chair 2007-present, OASN- Conference Committee 2007, NASN, Sigma Theta Tau

Community Involvement: Parish Nurse, Fellowship Lutheran Church, 1996-98; Adjunct Faculty Appointment, The Veteran Affairs Outpatient Clinic, Columbus, Ohio 1997-2001, Preceptor, Community Clinical Experience, The Ohio State University, Capital University, Mount Carmel College of Nursing, Wright State University, Senior Nursing Students- Implementing a clinical teaching plan for students in a school nurse setting 2002-present, Adjunct Faculty, Wright State University 2004-present. Ideas for School Nursing in Ohio: Increase the presence and knowledge of School Nursing in the state of Ohio. Increase the number of school districts with licensed school nurses, decrease the student to nurse ratio. Advocate for school nurse input and presence in the development of new policies and rules for Governor Strickland's reform plan for Ohio Schools. Provide education for Ohio school nurses in new and current practice issues in school nursing. Increase access to mental health services for children.

OASN CANDIDATE FOR VICE- PRESIDENT

Name: Kathy O'Dell RN, MEd, NCSN

School District of Employment: Greenville City Schools School Nurse Experience: 30 years School Nurse in same employment.

Education: Miami Valley Hospital School of Nursing (diploma), Ohio University (BS in health education with school nurse major), University of Dayton (MS in counseling)

Awards and Certificates: 2001 Ohio School Nurse of the Year, 2008 Cameos of Caring Recipient

Professional Affiliations and Offices Held: SWOSNA, OASN Rep. 2 terms; OASN President, President-Elect, Secretary 2 terms & Postural Screening Committee; numerous OASN conference planning committees; NASN conference state co-chair; past member Ohio Board of Nursing (2004- 2008).

Community Involvement: 1st United Methodist member & bell choir member; member FAME, past president (Financial Assistance for Medical Emergencies); member & current secretary Family Health Services Medical Center.

Ideas for School Nursing in Ohio: School nurses are on a 'cusp'..we are perched to introduce legislation to clarify the education law that allows for medication administration in schools and on Jan. 28, the Governor announced his education reform plan for Ohio that includes provisions for school nurses. OASN has an obligation to its membership through its mission statement which is to provide 'leadership, education and support for the practice of school nursing.' Our annual conference, which has been said to be on a par with the national conferences, provides that opportunity through the informational sessions provided. In addition, our conference provides collegiality which is one of the NASN Standards of School Nursing Practice. Many school nurses rely on our annual conference to obtain the continuing education hours required for licensure renewal. Telecommunication is certainly an asset but the annual conference continues to provide professional growth for Ohio's school nurses and will continue to provide the network for school nurses to gather to share information and ideas in a changing society.

Approximately 80 percent of what a child learns is learned visually. Early detection and treatment of vision disorders are important to maximize a child's visual potential. The longer eye conditions are left untreated, the more likely they are to worsen, affecting learning ability, athletic performance and self-esteem. Nationally, only 38% of three year olds are screened for vision problems. Well-child check ups offer the primary care provider an opportunity, on a yearly basis, to screen the child's vision for potential vision problems that can worsen and become more difficult to successfully treat if left until age six or seven.

"Vision problems affect one in four school-age children and one in twenty preschoolers, which is why regular vision care for children is so important," said Sherill Williams, president and CEO of Prevent Blindness Ohio.

To increase the visual quality of life for Ohio's children, Prevent Blindness Ohio is offering FREE 4 hour trainings that will provide instruction on how to perform preschool vision screenings, including:

• Instruction on how to perform stereopsis and distance visual acuity screening
• Detailed information on childhood eye diseases and disorders
• Preschool Vision Screening Guide for Healthcare Professionals: published in partnership with Prevent Blindness America and American Academy of Pediatrics
• Preschool Vision Screening Guidelines: published by the Ohio Department of Health
• Sample referral and follow up resources and access to no cost eye exams and eyeglasses for qualifying families.

1. To conduct vision screenings according to the established guidelines as presented in the training class,
2. To document the number of children screened and referred to an eye care provider and to provide this information to Prevent Blindness Ohio, and
3. To participate as requested in the Vision Screener's Survey conducted by Prevent Blindness Ohio.

• Lea Symbol Chart for Screening for visual acuity
• Model A Good-Lite Visual Acuity cabinet
• Random Dot E stereopsis test
• Assorted children's vision care resources and brochures.

Registration is limited to 25 individuals at each training.

Register online at: www.pbohio.org .

NOTE: You will not receive confirmation of acceptance into the training. If the session is full, you will be notified. There are no CEU's offered through Prevent Blindness Ohio. Please check with your professional associations. You can access directions to training locations via www.mapquest.com or a similar website, directions cannot be given by PBO. There is no cost to attend the training.

Funded by the Ohio Dept. of Health, Bureau of Child and Family Health Services, Save Our Sight Program www.saveoursight.org

As health care professionals, we all know that good hygiene, and hand hygiene in particular, is important for disease control. Hand hygiene, defined as hand washing with soap and water or the use of alcohol- based hand sanitizers, has been shown to be one of the most effective tools to prevent disease transmission. Knowing this, public health professionals, including school nurses, continue to preach about the importance of hand hygiene and teach the appropriate way to do it.

To review, hand hygiene should be performed:

Before:
-- Preparing food or eating
-- Inserting or removing contact lenses
-- Rendering first aid or treating a person who is ill
-- Administering medication or completing a medical procedure

After:
-- Any contact with blood, body fluids or soiled objects
-- Using the toilet
-- Assisting with personal hygiene, such as changing diapers
-- Touching animals or animal waste
-- Food preparation, especially after handling raw meat, poultry or fish
--Blowing your nose, using a tissue or coughing or sneezing into your hands
-- Treating or touching open wounds or a person who is sick or injured
-- After handling trash or garbage
-- After playing outdoors
-- When hands are visibly soiled

You may receive questions from school staff about the appropriate use of gloves. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) note that the use of gloves does not replace the need for hand hygiene. While the proper use of gloves can reduce disease transmission by 70 to 80 percent, their use does not eliminate the need for hand hygiene. If used for health care, gloves must be changed between patients, and hand hygiene with soap and water or alcohol-based hand sanitizers must be done as soon as gloves are removed and properly discarded. The improper use of gloves by food handlers can contribute to food borne illness, as well, so food service workers must remember to change gloves and do hand hygiene after touching contaminated surfaces, raw meats, coughing and sneezing.

Jarod's Law, Ohio Administrative Code 3701-54, requires every school to have a written hand washing protocol. This protocol must include the use of soap, water and a drying source, especially when hands are visibly soiled. It should include instructions of how to properly perform hand washing, times when hand washing should occur and approved alternatives to hand washing. More information on both of these documents may be accessed at the Ohio Department of Health (ODH) Website: http://www.odh.ohio.gov/ASSETS/4FDBA1597 6E14F37A8BA90701DCCF3E8/6a.%20Hand% 20Washing.pdf

While the benefits of hand hygiene are widely known, some schools have questioned possible alternatives to hand washing with soap and water, which can be time prohibitive. The CDC recognizes only alcohol- based hand sanitizers containing 60 percent alcohol as an effective alternative to soap and water. The use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers also meets the requirements of Jarod's Law. However, concerns have been raised about the safety of alcohol-based hand sanitizer use in school aged children. In a school environment, where children are always supervised and harmful chemicals are placed in appropriate areas, ODH supports the use of alcohol- based hand sanitizers as long as precautions are followed.

To assist local health departments and schools, the ODH has developed a technical guidance document about the use of alcohol-based hand sanitizers in the school setting. The information includes safety factors that need to be addressed such as storage, location of dispensers and enforcement of fire safety codes. This document is titled ¡§The Use of Alcohol- based Hand Sanitizers in Ohio Schools¡¨ and may be found online at the ODH School Nursing Program Webpage: http://www.odh.ohio.gov/odhPrograms/chss/s chnurs/guidepub.aspx

Respiratory etiquette, covering your cough and sneeze, is also a great way to prevent the spread of infection. In order to prevent hand contamination, it is now recommended that you should cough and sneeze into your sleeve or inner elbow. If you cover a cough or sneeze with your hand or a tissue, you should immediately dispose of the tissue and wash your hands with soap and water or use an alcohol- based hand sanitizer. In the fall of 2008, ODH mailed respiratory etiquette teaching guides to all elementary schools; the title of the guide is "Bring out the Healthy Heroes in our school" and it is also available online at http://www.ohiopandemicflu.gov/ . This tool may be used in your school to teach children healthy habits that students will continue to use throughout their lives. Additionally, handwashing posters are available for download from the CDC Website (http://www.cdc.gov -- search for "handwashing poster"¨).

The reinforcement of appropriate hand hygiene may seem like a never-ending task for school nurses. However, through continuous teaching and reinforcement of the basics of hand hygiene with students, staff and families, we are giving those around us the skills to maintain their own health, as well as protecting the health of others. Finding new ways and resources to teach this important topic can make your job effective to those you teach and gratifying to you. We hope you will find these new resources helpful!

CDC. (2002.) Hand Hygiene Guidelines Fact Sheet. http://www.cdc.gov/od/oc/media/pressrel/fs021025.htm

Green, L.R., Selman, C.A., Radke, V., Ripley, D., Mack, J.C., Reimann, D.W., Stigger, T., Motsinger, M. & Bushnell, L. (2006.) Journal of Food Protection. Food worker hand washing practices: An observation study. (69,10) pp 2417-2423. Retrieved online 2/3/2009 from http://www.cdc.gov/nceh/ehs/EHSNet/Docs/JFP_Hand _Hygiene.pdf

Ann Connelly RN, MSN, NSCN
School Nurse Consultant
Ann.connelly@odh.ohio.gov
614- 728-0386

Janet Hyme-Householder RN, MPH
School Nurse Consultant-Emergency Preparedness
janet.householder@odh.ohio.gov
614-995-7075

Ohio Department of Health
246 N. High St.
Columbus, OH 43215

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 (2001, ANA & NASN).

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

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!

Treasurer's Report:

Though OASN has a positive cash flow currently, the budget is tight and the OASN Board is examining all expenditures closely. The most recent board meeting was held by teleconference which is one of the strategies the board is using to decrease expenditures. The board is also considering other actions to decrease expenses to the organization such as web based conference material distribution beginning next year. To help boost our membership, all OASN members are urged to recruit new members and encourage others to attend the OASN conference in March.

Respectfully submitted,

Joan Keith, Treasurer 2008-2010

The School Nurse has an extremely important role in the management of asthma in the school setting. Asthma rates are now at 13.4 % for children in Ohio. A healthy school environment provides a favorable learning environment for students, enhances the productivity for teachers and staff, and promotes a sense of comfort, healthy, and well being for all school occupants. NASN with a grant from the Environmental Protection Agency is offering Managing Asthma Triggers (MAT) , a FREE 3.4 hour continuing education training, for registered nurses working in the school environment.

The goals of this training program:

• Create a healthy learning environment through improving indoor air quality
• Enhance the awareness by all staff of potential asthma triggers within the school environment
• Encourage optimal management of the school environment to reduce the asthma episodes.

Laura Stampfl, a school nurse from the COASN region, was among twenty women honored in January 2009. Sunny 95, a local radio station sponsored it's second annual "Twenty Outstanding Women You Should Know" celebration. This year's festivities were held at the Hilton Polaris in Columbus, Ohio.

Laura was chosen from thousands of nominations received. Her biography was highlighted on the Sunny 95 website. Students from Laura's school commented that she has made an impact. "She has been a selfless role model", they say. "If you want to know anything - ask the school nurse".

Congratulations, Laura.