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School nurse reports high immunization compliance and outlines plans for standing orders and emergency training
Summary
Colleen Brazington, the school nurse contracted through Fort Healthcare, told the Jefferson School Board the district’s immunization compliance is 99.94%, reviewed health-room visits and individualized health plans, and said staff will pursue standing orders for common over-the-counter analgesics and stop-the-bleed training next year.
Colleen Brazington, the district’s contracted school nurse, presented the annual nursing services report, telling the board the district recorded a 99.94% immunization compliance rate and detailed the scope of nursing services across buildings. Brazington said school nursing work includes individualized health care plans, action emergency plans and regular training for Medical Emergency Response Teams so staff can manage diabetes, severe allergies, seizures and other conditions while keeping students in school when appropriate.
"Our main goal here is to keep them here at school if we possibly can," Brazington said, describing routine care such as Tylenol or Tums and support for students who come to the health room. She told the board that staff use parent, student and doctor information when developing individualized care plans and that parents are asked to give permission for staff to contact physicians as part of plan development and updates.
Brazington reviewed program numbers, noting high use of the health room and the district’s approach to medication administration and screenings. She described a sealants program (179 student participants with 444 sealants placed and 61 referrals) and said the preventive care provided to students was valued at about $6,768 for the year. She also explained why the district’s count of health-room visits is useful, saying it documents care that might otherwise go unrecorded.
Looking ahead, Brazington outlined three goals: refine field-trip preparation procedures, develop a standing order process for over-the-counter analgesics (Tylenol and ibuprofen) so students without signed parental forms can still receive brief relief when appropriate, and maintain stop-the-bleed training and the district’s Heart Safe School designation. On stop-the-bleed, she said it is typically included in MER team training and noted the requirement cycle (every two to three years) may explain training documentation gaps.
Board members asked how care plans are reviewed and who is involved; Brazington said the main formal review occurs at the beginning of the school year but care plans are updated year-round as medical needs or medications change. She said training is provided to teachers and MER teams, and one-on-one trainings are done when staff work with students who have specialized medical needs.
The presentation concluded with Brazington inviting questions and noting partnerships with county providers and Sealants on Wheels to extend preventive services to students at no direct charge.
