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For Immediate Release
June 1, 2016
Contact: Margaret Cellucci, Director of Communications
National Association of School Nurses
mcellucci@nasn.org / 240-247-1628
CENTERS FOR DISEASE CONTROL AND PREVENTION AWARDS COOPERATIVE AGREEMENT
Collaboration to Support Students with Chronic Health Conditions
Silver Spring, Maryland [June 1, 2016] – The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) has awarded a five-year cooperative agreement to the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) to implement National Collaboration to Support Health, Wellness and Academic Success of School-Age Children. Funding for the first year is $375,000 to address the priority area of school health services (SHS) for managing chronic conditions (i.e., asthma, diabetes, food allergies, tooth decay, seizure disorders).
“The overarching goal of the NASN project, Collaboration to Support Students with Chronic Health Conditions, is to improve chronic health condition management in schools across the nation,” said NASN President Beth Mattey. “This will be done by strengthening partnerships between local and state SHS leaders in education and health.”
NASN’s expertise in evidence-based school nursing practice will be applied in the development of a multi-tiered approach to meet the needs of local communities that will be disseminated using professional development and supported with targeted technical assistance.
According to the CDC, schools can play a significant role in managing existing chronic conditions for our nation’s young people. A recent CDC brief notes that 16.2 percent of pediatric patients had one chronic condition and 1.6 percent had two or more. Increasing evidence shows the relationship between student health and learning; and demonstrates improve health outcomes when the SHS team, coordinated by a school nurse, collaborates with a student’s personal healthcare team. The “hidden healthcare system” in schools is a critical resource and link to protecting the health and academic success of students with chronic health conditions.
In the first year, under the leadership of a national advisory Consortium made up of members from health, public health, and education, states and State Project Teams will be identified and convened. Pediatric chronic condition specialty organizations will be consulted for existing evidence-based practice guidelines, tools, and resources. Gaps in resources will be identified and new resources developed.
Years two through five will apply lessons learned to additional states and school districts, highlighting the role school nurses play in care coordination that strengthens the link between health and education to support the health and academic success of students with chronic health conditions.
CDC – Whole School, Whole Community, Whole Child (WSCC) Model
The WSCC model is an expansion and update of the Coordinated School Health (CSH) approach. The WSCC model focuses its attention on the child, emphasizes a school-wide approach, and acknowledges learning, health, and the school as being a part and reflection of the local community. To learn more about the CDC’s WSCC model, please visit www.cdc.gov/healthyyouth/wscc/index.htm.
NASN
The National Association of School Nurses is a non-profit specialty nursing organization, organized in 1968 and incorporated in 1977, representing school nurses exclusively. NASN has more than 16,000 members and 50 affiliates, including the District of Columbia and overseas school nurses. The mission of the NASN is to optimize student health and learning by advancing the practice of school nursing. To learn more about NASN, please visit www.nasn.org or call 866-627-6767.
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