School Nurses’ New Tool Kits Bring More Health Resources to Students
BEF NEWS
School Nurses’ New Tool Kits Bring More Health Resources to Students
Monday, October 3rd, 2022
Beaverton Education Foundation launched its new Healthy Students initiative this month, bringing health literacy programming and health resources to all Beaverton students and their educators, including school nurses. The first award provides Nurse Tool Kit backpacks to all District nurses, along with professional memberships that include no-cost eye exams and free glasses for all Beaverton students who need them.
“The District hired several additional nurses in the past year and restructured how they serve the schools, which is putting a strain on available supplies,” says Lori Perkins, the District’s School Nurse on Special Assignment. “We often have to share supplies that are broken or old, or go without some. Having new supplies in a bag we can easily transport from school to school will make a huge difference,” she says, especially since many students use school nursing staff as their first health care contact.
This month, BEF will deliver 23 new backpacks filled with medical supplies including blood pressure cuffs, pulse oximeters, and stethoscopes, to name a few. School nurses will also now have professional memberships to the Oregon School Nurses Association (OSNA) and the National School Nurses Association (NSNA). These memberships provide school nurses with referrals for students to get free eye exams and glasses, downloadable and multilingual informational handouts for students, a well-regarded guidebook for school nurses and professional development opportunities.
“Good vision is essential for optimal learning. Many of our students need glasses and need our help to get them,” says Lori. “So often kids break their glasses, and we’re able to fill in the gap when other benefits are exhausted and get our students back to learning quickly. The NSNA benefit can really go the distance — we can provide many thousands of dollars of free vision care for our Beaverton students.”
The memberships also provide downloadable and multilingual informational handouts for students. With 93 languages spoken by families in the District, nurses can help increase understanding of health-related issues. BEF tapped into its strong connections with the District to identify and support health-related programs that meet the needs of students and educators.
“Last year we started exploring health literacy programming for Beaverton students when we outfitted several wellness spaces where students get refreshed and ready to learn,” says Kristine Baggett, BEF’s executive director. “With the launch of the new Healthy Students initiative, and these Nurse Tool Kits in particular, we’re going to take health literacy and resources to the next level for our students.”
