School Nurses

For CHAMPS--what approach has worked best to integrate school nurses into your program? Do the CHWs bridge that gap?

CHAMP has 3 Community Asthma Educators, 1 RN, and 1 RT.  We provide school packets for each child, each year, with information and medication for parents to take to the school.  Then we confirm that parents did indeed take the packet (or we go get the packet and take it ourselves).   We automatically fax all updated asthma action plans to the local school and to the administrative school health office after a visit to our clinic.   Our RT visits schools (but does not get to every one unless there is a specific concern) to assure that the staffs know that they have a high-risk asthma patient attending and how to respond in case of exacerbation.  Unfortunately, most schools in our county have a nurse only one day per week.  We also have a signed Memorandum of Agreement with the Division of School health and we send the administration a weekly list telling them the names of patients who have had medical encounters for asthma during that week so they can follow up.