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Everett officials review state-mandated student health screenings as nurse shortage forces limits on field trips
Summary
City public health director told the Everett School Committee that some mandated screenings must be done by licensed nurses while other checks can be delegated after state training; she said the district is budgeted for 22 nurses but currently has 10 and has put some field trips on hold.
Sabrina Ferricano, Public Health Director for the City of Everett, told the Everett School Committee on Dec. 16 that state-mandated student health screenings require a mix of licensed and delegated staff and that the district’s nurse shortage is constraining operations.
Ferricano said certain checks — for example postural (scoliosis) screening — "have to be done by a RN, or nurse practitioner, or doctor," while other screenings can be done by trained volunteers or medical assistants after Massachusetts Department of Public Health training and use of certified equipment. She said the district’s screening equipment is calibrated annually and that screening windows typically begin in January to avoid disrupting instruction.
On staffing, Ferricano said the district is budgeted for 22 full-time school nurses but "currently, we have 10." She added the district is contracting with an agency (Cataldo) to provide an additional "5 to 6 nurses per day" to cover elementary schools. Because of limited staffing and state rules about medication delegation, Ferricano said the district has temporarily placed some field trips on hold "because the priority is to have 2 nurses in a building."
Ferricano described privacy practices for height and weight checks — screenings take place with one student behind a privacy screen and parents are informed in advance and may opt out in writing. She said the district no longer calculates and sends BMI letters and that screening results are reported to the state in aggregate for population-level analysis.
Committee members urged the administration to pursue partnerships such as hospital-run "vision buses" and other community supports to reduce burdens on school nurses; several members volunteered to make outreach calls to health systems. The committee voted to refer the screenings item back to the sponsor and pursue coordinated outreach to potential partners.
Next steps: the administration and public health director will continue implementation planning, pursue agency/donor partnerships for mobile vision/hearing resources where feasible, and report back to the sponsor and committee.
