Well…..it is that time of the year….already! August is here and the kids are heading back to school.

It is hard to believe, because it feels like summer just started. But, as I checked my Facebook page this last week, several of my friends who are teachers are preparing to go back to work, others are posting pictures of their little ones’ first day of kindergarten, and (while I hate to admit it) some of my friends are getting ready to send their oldest off to college!

As I drove into work this morning, I began to reflect upon this time of year and what it means to me. For me, fall and the beginning of a school year, brings back wonderful memories of wearing my new “back-to-school” outfit, reuniting with old friends and the anticipation of making new ones, new teachers, new beginnings, new classes….it always felt like a “fresh start.” This time of year also takes me back to my college days and the feelings of freedom and independence – like the world was in my hands and the hopes and dreams for my future were endless.

I began thinking about HealthNet’s five school-based clinics and what our staff and providers must be thinking this time of year. How are the children we serve feeling? Are they up-to-date on their immunizations? Do they need help with taking their asthma medication? Many of the children that HealthNet’s school-based clinics serve do not have the same luxuries that I did as a child. Many come from broken homes or no home at all and many are suffering from medical and social needs.

Our staff is there to help these children begin the school year healthy….because being healthy is the foundation to learning and every child deserves to have hopes and dreams for their future.

Last year, our school-based clinics helped more than 3,000 students receive health care and health education services. As you prepare to go back to work as a teacher….or send your little one off to kindergarten….or drop your oldest off at college, please take a moment to consider making a donation to HealthNet’s school-based clinics.

A gift of $25 helps provide a change of clothing to a child who gets sick at school, and a $50 gift would provide students with a personal hygiene kit that is filled with items they may not have at home.

We are dedicated to ensuring that health becomes a bridge, not a barrier to learning. Help us build that bridge!

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What hopes and dreams are your kids looking forward to this school year? Share your comments! 

• Apple slices with peanut butter
• Fruit with low-fat yogurt or cottage cheese
• Banana or grapes with low-fat or fat-free milk
• Smoothie with yogurt, fruit and ice cubes
• Dried fruits like raisins
• Applesauce or fruit cup
• 1 cup of vegetable or bean soup
• 1 cup of hot cereal – like oatmeal
• Small baked potato with salsa
• Hard-boiled eggs with whole grain crackers
• Nuts mixed with dried fruits
• Whole grain crackers with string cheese
• Chopped raw vegetables with low-fat dip
• Celery with peanut butter
• Whole grain cereal with low-fat milk
• Whole grain crackers with low-fat cheese or peanut butter

When should you grab a snack?

Snacking is good for everybody. Your body needs to refuel every 3-4 hours. Eat shortly after you wake up and between breakfast, lunch and dinner. Avoid late-night snacking.

The BEST thing about snacking!

When you pick low-fat, low-calorie options, you’ll boost energy and metabolism though out your entire day!

Here’s more food for thought.

For children living in poverty, we believe health should be a bridge, not a barrier to learning. HealthNet School-Based Services served more than 3,000 students last year with health care and health education services at eight public and charter schools throughout Marion County. With your help, we can do even more this coming school year to keep kids healthy!

What are your kids looking forward to this school year?

World – Meet School-Based Services!

It’s a fact. Kids are more likely to learn and do better in school when they are healthy and attend class regularly. Yet when families don’t have health insurance, their children’s health can suffer. For these kids, health should be a bridge – not a barrier – to learning. That’s why HealthNet’s School-Based Services provided health care and health education to more than 3,100 students last year, through 22,000 visits at eight public and charter schools throughout Indianapolis.

Here are four things you should know about School-Based Services:

1. For many school children in Indy, visits to the nurse’s office are the only health care they will receive.
   School-based clinics like the ones HealthNet operates bring the doctor’s office to the school, so students avoid health-related absences and get support to succeed in the classroom.

   

   photo by Elizabeth Albert

2. School-based clinics are designed to meet the health care needs of students.
   School-based clinics are considered one of the most effective strategies for delivering high quality, comprehensive, and culturally-competent primary and preventive care to children and teens — a population that can be difficult to reach. By offering health and nutrition education, school clinics often are also on the front line in battling childhood obesity.
3. Being located where students spend most of their day enables School-Based Services to see and address factors that impact children’s well-being and academic achievement.
   Health providers outside a school setting may miss these factors. Jennifer and Monique’s stories are two amazing examples.
4. With your help, School-Based Services can do even more to improve the health and safety of students at school and at home.
   There are plenty of ways to get involved.
   
   • Make your child’s school healthier. Try some of these ideas!
   • Ask about the school nurse-to-student ratio at your child’s school. Start the conversation, and help Indy’s great schools become even better!
   • Consider a small gift to School-Based Services. A little bit can go a long way!
   • Raise awareness and tell your friends that you donated to this great program!  Together, we can help all school children in Indianapolis get a GREAT start to LIFE.

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Interested in School-Based Services and want to learn more?
Have ideas on how to make Indy schools healthier?
Comment below!
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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!

Health magazine recently recognized 10 schools across the nation that are doing an A+ job. Education officials in every state were asked for school nominations based on food and nutrition, fitness and activity, health education, and healthy building materials and practices.

Top honors went to New York’s West Babylon Senior High. There, the assistant principal walks through the cafeteria peddling a basket of fruit. All soda machines have been removed, so the only drinks available are water, milk, and fruit juice. The cafeteria features healthy choices, like wraps and yogurt, and has replaced fryers with state-of-the-art ovens. Students lead the school’s wellness council and conduct only healthy fund-raisers. No more candy sales! Instead, kids sell baby carrots, sugar-free gelatin, raisins, and nuts.

As a result, the student obesity rate dropped 2% in just one school year—and continues to decline. And, West Babylon is particularly proud of its new physical education curriculum that focuses on overall wellness, social skills, and lifetime and adventure activities – appealing to even the least-athletic students.

Make your own school healthier. Try some of these healthy ideas at your school!

School nurses, like those at HealthNet’s school-based clinics, may be among the best people to ask. They are in the business of keeping kids healthy and in school. In fact, it was a school nurse in New York that first identified the H1N1 outbreak a couple of years ago.

Here are 10 tips for keeping your kids well this flu season:

1. Get a flu shot. For that matter, parents should get the shot too.  If you don’t think you have the time to get into the doctor’s office, there are several locations that offer the vaccine at a low cost with no appointment.  Find a HealthNet location near you.
2. Wash your hands regularly. Teach your kids to wash for about 10 to 15 seconds — about how long it takes to sing “Happy Birthday.”
3. Keep your hands out of your mouth, nose and eyes.
4. If someone is sick (coughing, sneezing, etc.), keep your distance.
5. Have a plan to clean surfaces regularly – at home and at school.
6. Get plenty of rest.
7. Eat right, and get plenty of fluid and exercise daily.
8. Cover your cough. Sneeze or cough into your elbow or a tissue.
9. If you are sick with the flu, stay home. Don’t go to school or other places you could spread the flu.

For many students in Marion County, the only health care they receive is at school. Last year, HealthNet School-Based Services helped more than 3,320 students receive health care and health education services at eight public and charter schools in Marion County. With your help, they can do even more. Thanks for making a difference for Indy schools!

They provide care where children spend most of their waking hours – at school.  They also witness factors that impact student health and academic achievement — such as bullying, depression, stress and poor eating habits — which health providers outside a school setting may miss.

Take Indianapolis’ Decatur Discovery Academy, for example. HealthNet school nurse Jennifer Decker, RN, BSN, wasn’t too worried when a student came to her office with a routine headache. When the headaches continued for two weeks, however, Jennifer encouraged the student’s mother to urge her doctor to investigate further.

Thankfully, the mother did. As a result, doctors removed a tumor – about the size of a quarter – from the child’s brainstem.

“I was so glad to be able to talk to this mother, offer support and let her know we are praying for her daughter,” Jennifer said. “She thanked me for taking the time and caring. That totally made me cry, knowing that this family in crisis is thinking about expressing gratitude to me for simply doing my job.”

With your help, we can make this student’s recovery a little easier. Her condition affected her sense of balance and ability to walk. The school needs a wheelchair to aid her when she returns to classes, but doesn’t have one. In fact, a wheelchair would help lots of students who have injuries that make it difficult to navigate the large school campus.

If you’d like to provide a wheelchair for Indianapolis schools that need them, please consider making a small donation to HealthNet’s School-Based Services. Let’s make health a bridge, not a barrier, to learning.