Published: June 29, 2008 11:08 pm      

Elementary to get school health clinic

SUMMIT — Summit Elementary will have a school health clinic with a full-time nurse when school starts this fall.

The nurse will deal with general first aid issues, students with exceptional medical needs, and also will be able to conduct immunizations and screenings, said Lynn Bailey, a school psychologist in the Boyd County district.

The clinic is made possible through a partnership with the Boyd County Health Department, which will provide the nurse.

Summit was chosen because it is the largest elementary in the district and because currently there are two kindergarten pupils with diabetes, both of whom require close monitoring, Bailey said. In fact, she said, there seems to be a trend toward more students with significant medical issues who are in need of the expert medical vigilance a nurse can bring.

The district will buy some equipment to outfit the clinic, which will be housed in the space Bailey had been using as her office. The space had been designed as a clinic when the school was built but never used as such, and contains plumbing fixtures and other necessary features.

In addition to monitoring the students with medical needs, the nurse will tend to general first-aid duties such as scraped knees, headaches and the like.

In addition, the nurse will be available district-wide for events such as Readifest and will be able to do physical exams and immunizations.

The Summit nurse will augment the two district school nurses, who are stretched thin trying to serve four elementaries, a middle school and high school, Bailey said.

The Summit clinic is modeled after a pilot project at Crabbe Elementary in Ashland. That project was greeted with enthusiasm by Ashland administrators.

“It was a very successful year and we’re pleased to partner with the Boyd County Health Department,” said central office administrator Lisa Henson.

Ashland has one staff nurse to serve eight schools, so the addition of the clinic to Crabbe was a benefit the school plans to repeat in the coming school year, Henson said.

Having a nurse on hand for physicals and immunizations saves time and effort for families that otherwise would have to take their kids to hospitals or the health clinic, said principal Steve Hall.

Further, he said, the daily presence of a nurse at the school helps children build trusting relationships, he said. “That can be beneficial.”

MIKE JAMES can be reached at mjames@dailyindependent.com or at (606) 326-2652.