DPH Updates 1/9/13
Dear Colleagues,
Welcome back from the holiday break! We hope you are keeping warm and safe….no matter what our winter weather is
bringing today! We have some exciting news for all school nurses across the state! Effective January 2, 2014, the ESHS
Regional Consultant Program has expanded to provide consultation and technical assistance to ALL school nurses throughout
the state! School Nurses with concerns and questions regarding the delivery of school health services should contact the
Regional Consultant for their area if they are unable to find the correct response on their own. (Concerns from school
administrators, parents/ guardians, other state agencies, etc. will still be addressed by the School Health Unit at MDPH). These
Regional Consultants (and their contact information) are all school nurses who have received special training and education
provided by the School Health Institute and the School Health Unit. Please take a few moments to congratulate and introduce
yourself to the Regional Consultant for your area! Thanks!
Region
Name
Office Phone
Cell Phone
Email
Central
Lee Waingortin
978-657-6116
978-621-2829
lwaingortin@hudson.k12.ma.us
Metro-west
Kris Carlson-Lewis
781-314-5543
978-239-2730
kristencarlson-lewis@k12.waltham.ma.us
Northeast
Lisa Cross
508-782-6892
617-429-9085
elarsencross@framingham.k12.ma.us
Southeast
Ann Klaver
508-894-4329
774-259-7859
annmarieklaver@bpsma.org
West
Michele Foley
413-787-7643
413-265-7264
FoleyMi@sps.springfield.ma.us
A.
Health Schools Campaign School Nurse Leadership Award
Healthy Schools Campaign is launching a new award program to recognize the extraordinary efforts of school nurses that take leadership
roles in implementing health and wellness practices in their schools.
For many kids, school nurses are important lifelines to well-being and academic success. But all too often, school nurses go
unrecognized. It’s time we change that. This year, The School Nurse Leadership Award presented by Healthy Schools Campaign honors
the unsung heroes who show leadership and help schools create a culture of wellness.
Visit healthyschoolscampaign.org/leadership-award to pre-register and ensure you are the first to get the application. Applications are
available February 5, 2014 and due by March 7, 2014. You may complete the application if you are a school nurse or if you wish to
recognize a school nurse in your school or district. Up to five winners will be announced on May 6, 2014, National School Nurse Day,
and will be highlighted to peers across the country. Winners will also receive a $500 School Health Gift card to use towards a catalog or
on-line purchase. Please see the attached document for more information.
B.
Please note the attached document for regional contact information for the 4 regions of the state that provide adolescent
community-based substance use treatment. This is a wonderful, evidence-based model that is innovative and promising
Jen (Boston and North Shore), Sue (Greater Springfield), Miriam (Harbor Communities, Suffolk County), and Lisa
(Worcester, Fitchburg & Lowell) are the contact people for information about these services, referral protocols, etc.
C.
FYI:
For those who work with environmental health concerns in school laboratories:
http://www.nytimes.com/2014/01/04/nyregion/school-experiment-that-burned-boy-was-focus-of-federalwarning.html (Be sure to view the safety videos mentioned.)
Information pertaining to a national class action filed by the parent of a Mississippi high school football player against the NCAA
and the National Federation of State High School Associations (NFHS). The suit seeks to require the NCAA and NFHS to provide
high schools with current concussion-risk information and standard of care practices. The plaintiff seeks (but will need court to
certify plaintiff) to represent a class of all current high school football players nationwide (in Miss. and 49 other states and
DC) http://shar.es/9EWcg
D. Walgreens has donated vouchers for free flu vaccine at Walgreens stores across the state. If you think
you could use these free flu vaccine vouchers in your communities. Please contact Mary Conant-
Cantor, Immunization Program, Nurse Manager, MDPH (mary.conant@state.ma.us ) and let her know
the number you want and a complete mailing address.
E. BEING CULTURALLY RESPONSIVE IN URBAN SETTINGS: A CONFERENCE FOR MENTAL HEALTH CARE
PROVIDERS:
This conference will provide two days of training, resources and networking opportunities for mental health providers and
others working with children and families in urban communities. For more
information: http://www.ldbpeaceinstitute.org/events/being-culturally-responsive-urban-settings-conference-mental-healthcare-providers
From the MCAAP Immunization Initiative
Register Today!
Pediatric Immunization Update Webinar
You Are the Key to HPV Cancer Prevention
Thursday, January 16, 2014
12:00-1:00 p.m. EST
Rebecca Perkins, M.D., M.Sc.
Assistant Professor of Obstetrics/Gynecology
William Adams, M.D., FAAP
Associate Professor of Pediatrics
Boston University School of Medicine/Boston Medical Center
(Scroll down for registration instructions)
The goal of the MCAAP Immunization Initiative Pediatric Immunization Update
Webinar Series is to improve child and adolescent immunization rates in
Massachusetts. The series has been developed in collaboration with Baystate
Health.
Target Audience:
The target audience includes healthcare professionals who provide
immunizations to children and adolescents in Massachusetts, including Chapter
pediatricians and family practice physicians, nurse practitioners, nurses,
physician assistants, medical assistants, public health workers, community
health center staff, and office staff who work in pediatric health care settings .
Continuing Education Credit:
This activity is planned and implemented by Baystate Health and the MCAAP
Immunization Initiative. Baystate Health is accredited by the Accreditation
Council for Continuing Medical Education (ACCME), the Accreditation Council for
Pharmacy Education (ACPE), and the American Nurses Credentialing Center
(ANCC) to provide continuing education for the healthcare team.
Learner Objectives:
By participating in this continuing education program, the attendee should be
able to:



Discuss HPV-related disease morbidity.
Explain the benefits of HPV vaccination and rationale for vaccinating at
ages 11 or 12.
Describe effective and ineffective strategies for communicating with
parents about HPV vaccination.
Disclosure:
Drs. Perkins and Adams, and the members of the webinar planning committee,
have no commercial relationships with any entity producing, marketing, reselling or distributing health care goods or services consumed by or used on
patients.
How To Register Online:
The webinar is free and will last one hour. Pre-registration is required to
obtain continuing education credits.
You must pre-register for the webinar to receive credit;
Go to learn.bhs.org;
Wait for the calendar to load;
Click on January 2014 to access the January 16th webinar;
Click on the January 16th webinar and proceed through the checkout
process*;
6. If you have participated in Baystate Webinars before, please use your
Baystate Health CEID to register. If you need to create a Baystate Health
CEID when registering, please remember to complete the webinar
registration process after you create the CEID.
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
*Note: Instructions regarding how to login and participate in the webinar will be
sent to the email address that you enter during this registration process.
Remember to check your email for updates and further information. For more
information on continuing education credits, go to learn.bhs.org.
Please forward this information to colleagues who may be interested in
participating.
Please contact Cynthia McReynolds, at cmcreynolds@mms.org, if you have
questions or would like additional information.
To access the MCAAP website, click here.
American Academy of Pediatrics, Massachusetts
Chapter
ALSO FROM THE NEU SCHOOL HEALTH INSTITUTE:
Medication Administration and Delegation in MA Schools (FYI: This workshop is required every five years for nurses who are
applying for registration for delegation of medication administration in the school setting and/or to train unlicensed personnel to
administer epinephrine (via an auto-injector) in the school setting. It is highly recommended that ALL school nurses attend this
update every five years as well).
February 26, 2014 Marlboro Holiday Inn 8:30-3:00
March 4, 2014
** John Carver Inn PLYMOUTH 8:30-3:00
April 17, 2014
** Sturbridge Host Hotel Sturbridge 8:30-3:00
May 14, 2014
Marlboro Holiday Inn 8:30-3:00
June 3, 2014
Marlboro Holiday Inn 8:30-3:00
Professional School Nursing Practice in MA
March 18 AND 19, 2014
Marlboro Holiday Inn
ADOLESCENT HEALTH IN THE NEWS Below is an variety of resources and information related to Adolescent Health that
will be of interested to all school nurses who provide care to adolescents, pre-adolescent and pre-pre-adolescents!
RECENT RESEARCH
YottaFire: Focus on Developmental Approach to Obesity in Children and Adolescents (Dec 27) New studies of factors affecting the risk
of obesity in children and adolescents—as well as promising approaches to prevention and treatment—are assembled in the Journal of
Developmental & Behavioral Pediatrics, the official journal of the Society for Developmental and Behavioral Pediatrics.
Reuters: Strict parenting may reduce teen smoking (Dec 30) Parents who set limits are less likely to have kids who smoke, regardless of
their ethnic and racial backgrounds, according to a new U.S. study.
CNN: Doctors don’t talk to adolescents about sex (Dec 31)Thirty-six seconds is the average time a physician spends speaking with
adolescent patients about sexuality, according to research published online Monday in JAMA Pediatrics.
JAMA Editorial: Will You Ask? Will They Tell You? Are You Ready to Hear and Respond? Barriers to Physician-Adolescent
Discussion About Sexuality (Dec 30)
Reuters: Teen eating disorders may impact weight later: study (Dec 31) Young teens who binge eat and those who are fearful of weight
gain may be more likely to become overweight later in adolescence, according to a new study from the United Kingdom.
Health24: Binge eating linked to overweight in adolescents (Jan 2) Young teens who binge eat and those who are fearful of weight gain
may be more likely to become overweight later in adolescence, according to a new study from the United Kingdom.
The Almagest: Mothers’ relationships can influence adolescent children’s relationships, study finds (Jan 2) A new study from
researchers at the University of Missouri suggests that mothers’ friendships with other adults can impact their adolescent children’s
relationships with their own friends, particularly the negative aspects of these relationships such as conflict and antagonism.
Medical News Today: Alcohol Consumption causes Damage to DNA of Young Adults (Jan 2) According to a new research published in
the journal Alcohol, levels of alcohol consumption causes damage to DNA. Many college students have the habit of celebrating weekend
and that includes having a drink or two.
The Almagest: Findings announced from landmark study on safety of adolescent bariatric surgery (Jan 2) Initial results of a first and
largest of its kind study focusing on the safety of adolescent bariatric surgery were published in JAMA Pediatrics. The “Teen
Longitudinal Assessment of Bariatric Surgery” (Teen-LABS) study is funded by the NIH and is being conducted at five sites in the U.S.,
including Nationwide Children’s Hospital.
NATIONAL
4-Traders: CVS Caremark Corporation: CVS Caremark Charitable Trust to Invest $5 Million in Community Health (Dec 27) Through
its $1 million commitment to the School-Based Health Alliance, the CVS Caremark Charitable Trust will help ensure that
kindergarteners through high school students can receive routine medical care, such as a flu shot, annual physical, eye exams, dental
screenings, or speak to a mental health counselor.
Psychiatric News: APA Convenes Stakeholders Meeting Around Parity Law (Dec 30) More than 35 stakeholders agreed that the work
of achieving parity was greatly enhanced by the final rule regarding its implementation, but there is more work to do. The work of
achieving parity for the treatment of mental illness and substance use is not over.
ABC News: Boy Who Fought 'Under12 Rule' Gets Lung Transplant (Dec 31) A young boy who spent months lying a few beds away
from Sarah Murnaghan at the Children's Hospital of Philadelphia awaiting a lung transplant received new lungs and is now recovering,
his mother said Monday.
LOCAL
Valley Morning Star (TX): Responding to the mental health needs of adolescents (Dec 28) According to the U.S. Department of Health
and Human Services, more than 4 million children and adolescents in this country suffer from serious mental illness.
CBS St. Louis (MO): Proposed Abortion Law: Both Parents Must Be Notified If Child Seeks Procedure (Dec 30) A Missouri lawmaker
filed a bill on Monday that would make it law to notify both parents of a minor before their child could receive an abortion.
News 12 (NY): NYC Department of Health releases new reports on bullying (Dec 30) The New York City Department of Health has
released new reports on bullying in the city's schools. Data collected from 2011 shows that 18 percent of New York City high school
students claim they have been bullied. The reports shows 13 percent of girls and 9 percent of boys are victims of cyberbullying.
Deseret News (UT): Adolescent addiction: When pornography strikes early (Jan 1) Justin is just one in a growing body of teenagers
who find themselves unable to function because of an increasing appetite for pornography — which was often first found during an
innocent Web search on a home computer. Experts say the age of first exposure is continuing to fall and is currently around 11 or 12
years old.
The Star Press (IN): Program gets mental health services to kids (Jan 2) More than 100 Indiana children are receiving intensive mental
health services under a new state program designed to close the funding gap that caused some parents to admit to neglect in order to
secure help for their children.
INTERNATIONAL
Japan Times (Japan): Too young for motherhood (Dec 30) Nearly 70,000 of these girls die each year — or nearly 200 day — from
pregnancy related complications. And 90 percent of these girls are in marriages or unions.
Haaretz (Israel): Israel to fund all abortions for women 20-33 starting next year (Dec 30) Israel will pay for abortions for women aged
20 to 33 regardless of circumstance starting next year, health officials said Monday, adding that they hope to make eligibility for state
funding universal in the future.
New Zealand Herald: Sex education lagging: poll (Dec 30) Nearly three-quarters of New Zealanders feel that the Roast Busters case
showed high school students needed to be taught about respectful attitudes to sex, not just the mechanics of sexual intercourse.
The Express Tribune (Pakistan): Youth development: Punjab unveils policy for adolescents (Dec 31) The Punjab government on
Monday launched its Adolescent Development Policy Framework to address the needs of youth between the ages 10 and 19. The policy
developed by the Department of Youth Affairs, Sports, Archaeology and Tourism comes a year and half after the Punjab Youth Policy
that deals with the 15- 29 age bracket.
The Post (South Africa): Drink fuels nation’s health crisis (Dec 31) As the curtain falls on 2013 not much has changed regarding the
health of the citizens. The burdens of disease have not abated, while health departments and other stakeholders have continued to forge
ahead with the battle to educate and increase awareness of prevention, rather than cure.
BLOGS/OPINION PIECES
The Star (Canada): Ontario must approve new sex education curriculum: Editorial (Dec 29) Ontario’s current sex education curriculum
is the oldest in Canada and must be updated. The pressure is on to modernize Ontario’s mental health and sex education curriculum, last
updated 15 years ago.
Huffington Post: For Young People Addicted to Painkillers, the Path Less Taken -- Why? (Dec 30) There are behavioral and
pharmacological treatments that can save lives and bring even seriously addicted kids into long-term recovery. The problem is that many
treatment programs have chosen to either rely on only behavioral treatments or only medications; and most physicians do not have
sufficient training in either medication or behavioral therapy to provide effective treatment
Common Ground: Kids and antidepressants (Jan) A few months back journalist Sharon Kirkey reported the most incredible nosestretcher of a statement by the Canadian Paediatric Society: “The group representing the nation’s paediatricians says the potential
benefits of Prozac-like antidepressants – drugs that have only ever been officially approved for use in adults in Canada – outweigh the
potential harms when used in children.”
NEW RESOURCES AVAILABLE
CDC MMWR: CDC Grand Rounds: Evidence-Based Injury Prevention (Jan 3) This is another in a series of occasional MMWR reports
titled CDC Grand Rounds. These reports are based on grand rounds presentations at CDC on high-profile issues in public health science,
practice, and policy. Information about CDC Grand Rounds is available at http://www.cdc.gov/about/grand-rounds.
As we start the new year, I want to let you know that the MDPH School Health Unit appreciates
all that you do for the children and adolescents of the Commonwealth! Remember, “It’s only fair
that each child be cherished” (Corita Kent, also known as Sister Mary Corita, 1984).
Mary Ann
Mary Ann Gapinski, MSN, RN, NCSN
Director of School Health Services
MA Department of Public Health