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District nurse reports expanded emergency meds, MERT teams and training
Summary
District school nurse Kat Comer told the Sept. 15 board about individualized health care plans, Medical Emergency Response Teams, stock emergency medications (epinephrine, albuterol, Narcan), Stop the Bleed rollout and staff certifications; three schools earned Michigan Heart Safe designation.
Kat Comer, district school nurse for Buchanan Community Schools, presented a districtwide update on Sept. 15 describing expanded student health services and emergency readiness efforts.
Comer said the district has been building individualized health care plans (IHPs) for students with complex medical needs and has established Medical Emergency Response Teams (MERT) of five trained staff members at each school. "The MERT team is a group of five staff...who have been trained in CPR, first aid, seizures, diabetes, asthma attacks," she said.
Comer outlined new or standardized resources: the district has placed epinephrine and albuterol in every school and has Narcan on site alongside staff training systems. She said staff certifications included comprehensive diabetes training for 28 staff members, emergency medication administration training for 23 staff members, and CPR/AED/first-aid certification for 46 staff members; bus drivers and kitchen staff also received certifications.
The nurse noted the district was awarded the Michigan Heart Safe designation for three schools, placing them among the top 10 percent in the state for readiness to respond to cardiac emergencies. "This year, all of our seniors will walk across that stage armed with compression-only CPR," Comer said, describing plans to train graduating seniors in compression-only CPR.
Comer also described community health-literacy materials and a ‘‘Stop the Bleed’’ rollout adapted from military training, and said the district is pursuing grant funding for go-kits to support lockdown and emergency responses.
Board members thanked Comer for the update and several shared personal notes about positive experiences with district medical support. The presentation was informational; no board action was required.
