Most of us Midwesterners have been bundled up all winter. A sunny get-away over spring break can provide kids the kind of intermittent sun exposure that leads to sunburn.

The amount of sunburn your children get now, before they turn 18, increases their risk for skin cancer, particularly melanoma.

Did you know that only one, severe sunburn in childhood can more than double the chances of skin cancer developing in adulthood?  With every sunburn comes a decrease in the skin’s natural ability to protect itself and an exponentially higher likelihood that skin disease will occur later in life.

Keep your kids burn-free this spring:

1. Make sure your sun safety practices are age appropriate.
2. Choose the right sunscreen.
3. Find the right sunglasses.
4. Pick the safest time and the place.
5. Skip the tanning bed!

You can help our Indy community be sun smart too.

• Teach your kids a fun sun safety game to play with their friends!
• Help your child’s school be sunwise. Learn about guidelines for school programs that strive to prevent skin cancer.
• Babies, with their delicate skin, are particularly vulnerable sun exposure. Each year, HealthNet Health Promotions offers Baby Be Sun Smart, a sun education program for mothers of newborns. This year, we hope to distribute 750 sun safety kits to HealthNet moms of babies between 0-3 months at well-baby visits. Moms receive a sand bucket filled with a bilingual sun safety education flyer, a hand-made baby bonnet, and a small bottle of sunscreen.

Want to help a mom who can’t afford sunscreen for her baby? A donation of $75 will provide sunscreen for 75 sun safety kits.  Thanks for making a difference in our community!

The next time you visit your child’s school, ask about its nurse-to-student ratio.

Health Magazine describes just how the role of the school nurse has changed over the years, as nurses become responsible for the health of more and more students.

The problem? No nationally mandated ratio. This creates a gross disparity among states. Only 13 states meet the Healthy People 2020 objective of a school nurse-to-student ratio of at least 1:750 students. Indiana ranks 20^th, with a ratio of one school nurse for every 909 students.

Carolyn McCarthy, herself a nurse and a U.S. representative from New York, is trying to fix the problem. She introduced a bill that will fund states’ efforts to reduce their ratios. A version of the bill was included in H.R. 3962, the Affordable Health Care for America Act, and provides access to demonstration grants for the purpose of reducing school nurse-to-student ratios in public elementary schools.

The National Association of School Nurses recommends a needs-based approach in determining appropriate ratios based on student health needs. We believe every child deserves a school nurse, every school day. School nurses, like those at HealthNet’s eight school-based clinics, help health be a bridge, not a barrier to learning.

You can help by asking about your school’s student-to-school nurse ratio, and raising awareness with other parents. Your school might even be a good candidate for a demonstration grant. Start the conversation, and help Indy’s great schools become even better!