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District nurse reports 70,137 clinic visits, highlights vision screenings and behavioral health trends
Summary
District nurse Amy Brager presented the annual nursing report, noting 70,137 clinic visits, over 400 students diagnosed with asthma and an increase in behavioral-health needs; trustees asked about data breakdowns and trends.
Amy Brager, the district nurse for West Bend Joint School District No. 1, presented the district’s annual nursing report at the June 23 board meeting and highlighted student health trends, screenings and school health services provided during the 2024–25 school year.
Brager told trustees the district recorded 70,137 clinic visits this year, a slight decline from prior years, and reported more than 400 students diagnosed with asthma. She said the district has 17 students with type 1 diabetes and maintains approximately 206 emergency medications (distinct from inhalers) on campus, as well as about 1,170 medication authorizations administered through clinics each school day.
Brager also reported that 16 percent of students have a diagnosed mental-health or behavioral-health disorder consistent with last year’s data, and she noted that the number is likely an undercount because many students present with somatic complaints (headaches, stomachaches) that later are identified as mental-health-related. She said 4,698 students were sent home for illness during the year, 7,121 were picked up by families by choice, and 12 calls to 911 were made, nine of which resulted in EMS transport.
The report included preventive screening work: volunteer partnership with the West Bend Lions Club screened kindergarten and fifth-grade vision; 11 percent of fifth-graders and 14 percent of kindergartners required referrals for vision assessment. The district also hosted Bridging Brighter Smiles mobile dental services, maintained Project ADAM Heart Safe accreditation and piloted the Impact Teen Drivers distracted-driving prevention program in partnership with county and hospital partners.
Trustees asked for more detail on visit coding: Dr. Thomas asked whether the district tracks visit reasons split between mental-health and physical complaints; Brager said visit data is recorded by presenting complaint (for example, stomachache or headache) and that many mental-health needs present as somatic complaints, so the administrative data set does not neatly separate those categories.
Ending: Brager said she will continue to monitor clinic utilization patterns, including a shift in highest-volume clinics from Silver Brook to Badger during the year, and noted she will pursue deeper analysis next year on observed shifts and needs.
