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school nurse

a little boy drinks at a water fountain that appears to be in the hallway of a school. Children are particularly vulnerable to lead exposure, and they can get it through drinking contaminated water.

Lawmaker will again attempt to get lead out of water in schools, daycare centers

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Lawmaker will again attempt to get lead out of water in schools, daycare centers - North Carolina Health News

North Carolina does not test for lead in drinking water in schools and child care centers. State Rep. Harry Warren hopes to change that soon.

By Greg Barnes Parents of students at Red Oak Elementary School in Nash County were never notified after federal officials found excessive levels of lead in the school’s water in July 2015. Instead, school administrators posted a notice on a brick wall in the school’s kitchen. Under state law, it was the only notification they […]

a school nurse squats down to be at eye level with a little boy

School Nurses’ New Roles Reflect Complex Health Needs of N.C.’s Students

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School Nurses’ New Roles Reflect Complex Health Needs of N.C.’s Students - North Carolina Health News

The role of the school nurse has changed as kids' needs have evolved. A recent legislative study points to a need for funding more of them across the state.

By Rose Hoban Amy Widderich is a woman in near constant motion. Whether it’s walking a queasy child from a classroom, taking a temperature or dispensing  hugs and encouragement to anxious kids, Widderich, the school nurse at Grove Park Elementary School in Burlington, rarely gets to complete a sentence before she’s interrupted by a child, […]

shows a crowded hallway filled with kids with backpacks.

School Nurses Need Help to Combat Opioids

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School Nurses Need Help to Combat Opioids - North Carolina Health News

A recent survey of school nurses in North and South Carolina finds they need to know more to prevent, combat, treat addiction in their students.

By Taylor Knopf Now a national emergency, opioids have seeped into all areas of American life, including grade school. A survey published in the Journal of Addictive Diseases found that school nurses in North and South Carolina sometimes encounter students with opioid prescriptions. The nurses also say they’d like more opioid education for themselves and […]

Schools/Health Bills Cruise through N.C. House

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Schools/Health Bills Cruise through N.C. House - North Carolina Health News

As a legislative deadline draws near, lawmakers move a group of bills to help school children stay healthier. By Rose Hoban With a major legislative deadline approaching on April 30, lawmakers in the House of Representatives have been acting quickly to move bills addressing health and schools through committee and floor votes. After hearing a […]

School-based Telehealth: A New Approach to Improved Outcomes in Rural NC Counties

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School-based Telehealth: A New Approach to Improved Outcomes in Rural NC Counties - North Carolina Health News

The Center for Rural Health Innovation reaches out to students via teleconference in three Western North Carolina counties. By Taylor Sisk It was the teacher in Steve North who connected the dots. North, a Wisconsin native, was fated, it would seem, to be a doctor. His father was one, and folks always said he himself […]

EpiPen on a thigh

School Nurses Push for EpiPens

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School Nurses Push for EpiPens - North Carolina Health News

At their annual conference in Chapel Hill this week, school nurses were buzzing about having the right medications in schools to treat dangerous allergic reactions. By Rose Hoban In January 2012, 7-year-old Amarria Johnson died after accidentally eating a peanut at her elementary school in Chesterfield County, Virginia. Less than four months later, Virginia passed […]

NC General Assembly building

Health Care Bills On the Move in Legislature

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Health Care Bills On the Move in Legislature - North Carolina Health News

As the end of the legislative session starts to come into sight, more bills are being pushed quickly through committees and on to votes. This week’s roundup of health care bills: By Rose Hoban As lawmakers get closer to the end of their legislative session, bills start to move quickly through committees on their way […]

School nurses met in Chapel Hill last week for an intensive two-day workshop focused on getting them up to date with the newest trends.

School Nurses Head to Class

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School Nurses Head to Class - North Carolina Health News

More than 500 school nurses crammed in as much new information as they could last week during the annual meeting of the state School Nurses’ Association. By Rose Hoban One day last week, four kids showed up in school nurse Frances Tutterow’s office at Courtney Elementary School at the same time. All of them had […]