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For Immediate Release
July 2, 2017
Contact: Margaret Cellucci, Director of Communications
National Association of School Nurses
mcellucci@nasn.org / 240-247-1628
NATIONAL ASSOCIATION OF SCHOOL NURSES TAPS OREGON SCHOOL NURSE AS NEW PRESIDENT AT ANNUAL CONFERENCE
School Nurses are the leaders who bridge health care and education, provide care coordination, and advocate for quality student-centered care.
Silver Spring, MD (July 2, 2017) – At its 49th Annual Conference, NASN2017, in San Diego, California (June 30-July 3), the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) announced Nina Fekaris, MS, BSN, RN, NCSN, of Beaverton, Oregon (OR), its new President for the two-year term 2017-2019. Fekaris has been a school nurse in the Beaverton School District (OR) for 27 years.
As NASN’s new President, Fekaris will support NASN’s mission of optimizing student health and learning by focusing on school nurse engagement. “We need to continue to learn how the Framework for 21st Century School Nursing Practice supports and augments our role as a school nurse. This will help direct us to be in the forefront of promoting a culture of health in our communities.” Adding, “Through education, support of evidence-based practice principles, and partnering with others, school nurses will help make our school communities a healthier place for children and families to learn and grow.”
As a school nurse, she provides nursing service to a comprehensive high school, a middle school, an elementary school, and a K-8 school, serving more than 5,000 students. She provides case management for 250 students who require individualized school health plans and coordinates with school staff, families, and physicians. Prior to becoming a school nurse, Nina worked as a staff /ICU nurse at the Veteran’s Medical Center in Kansas City, Missouri and as the Director of Nursing and Health Service for the Greater Kansas City Chapter of the American Red Cross. She became a Nationally Board Certified School Nurse in 2008. In 2009, she received a NASN School Nurse of the Year award.
For the past two years, Fekaris has served on the Executive Committee of the American Academy of Pediatrics Council on School Health, and serves as a liaison on the Board of Directors for the National Board for Certification of School Nurses.
In her remarks at NASN2017, Fekaris said, “The school nurse voice is more powerful than most of us realize. It is when we help a teacher understand how to alter lesson plans so students with food anaphylaxis can participate in all learning activities. It is when we teach children healthy habits so they can grow and thrive.” Adding, “The story of school nursing is what we do every day.”
Fekaris added, “School nurses must recognize the importance of what we do, and recognize our own importance in carrying out this work. We (school nurses) are the health and wellness experts in the school, and we need to recognize and embrace this. We need to find our voice.”
Additional election results for 2017-2019 include:
Laurie Combe, MN, RN, NCSN, elected President-elect, a school nurse for 21 years, Health Services Coordinator for Klein ISD in the Greater Houston, Texas area.
Mary Blackborow, MSN, RN, NCSN, elected Secretary/Treasurer, a school nurse for 17 years, serving the students of North Brunswick Township High School (New Jersey).
Kathey Haynie, MSN, RN, elected to the Nominating Committee, a school nurse for 15 years, Pulaski County Special School District (Arkansas).
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. The mission of NASN is to optimize student health and learning by advancing the practice of school nursing. To learn more about NASN, please visit us on the Web at www.nasn.org or call 866-627-6767.
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