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Making a Difference at Westside Academy
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Community Benefit in Action
Froedtert Provides Full-time School Nurse for Students at Westside Academy Each day at Westside Academy, students have aches and pains. One day, Andrea, 13, had a stomachache. Another day, Shaquille, 13, had a headache. Their discomfort distracted them from their schoolwork. Fortunately, each was able to see the school nurse for care. But that wasn’t always the case.
| Since 2006, Froedtert Hospital has provided a nurse to serve Westside Academy as part of a community health partnership in a low-income, underserved neighborhood. Westside Academy, an independent charter school, is part of the Milwaukee Public Schools (MPS) system. |
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Westside Academy is one of the more successful schools in Milwaukee, yet the school has a tough time recruiting dedicated staff. Read the article from the Milwaukee Journal Sentinel. |
In the past, when a student got a rash, toothache, stomachache or headache at school, he or she would often be sent home — when possible. If the school could not contact a parent, office personnel were placed in difficult situations, they were unable to dispense medicine to the students, but still had to make decisions, even for routine needs, due to basic concern for a child’s well-being. Uncertainty could linger about the wait to obtain permission from a parent, or to arrange timely access to a healthcare provider.
Such dilemmas, once common at Westside Academy, have gradually become less frequent. The school nurse offers student nursing care and case management during the school year and summer, with duties inclusive of coordinating services with parents and staff, to meet basic health needs for students. Classroom health education and wellness sessions facilitated by the nurse promote preventive health and early intervention. The school nurse also serves as liaison to the nearby Westside Healthcare Association, a community health center, to provide referrals and assist students and families in need of a primary health care home.
Froedtert covers the salary and associated costs for the full-time nurse to serve the combined student population of 660 children at two locations: Westside Academy I at 1945 N. 31st St., for Head Start through Grade 3, and Westside Academy II at 1940 N. 36th St., for Grades 4-8.
“When I had my headache, my teacher told me I could go see the school nurse,” Shaquille said. “We had brought my medicine here, so it was better than calling home if you have an emergency. It can take a while to get to see a doctor when you have to go to a clinic somewhere.” Shaquille said he was comforted both by the relief he received from treatment of his headache, and the caring manner of the nurse.
With appropriate professional background and credentials, the nurse is able to explain health matters, clarify options and determine intervention needs, as well as seek, obtain and document permission from parents to dispense medication for children in need.
Preliminary outcomes show the availability of the nurse is highly likely to prevent major disruptions in student attendance, and it also provides psychosocial support for students.
According to Kathleen Murphy, RN, MS, Health Services Coordinator for MPS, during a four-month period in 2006, the Westside school nurse had the highest return-to-class rate — 89 percent compared to the average of 85 percent — for all other MPS school nurses. This measure of how many students were able to remain at school versus being sent home or elsewhere due to health issues is significant, given the proven link between consistent school attendance and academic achievement.
The principal of Westside Academy, James Sonnenberg, clearly recognizes that health issues can interfere with how well children perform in school. “A lot of barriers exist for children and families, but basic needs — access to food, housing, clothing and health care — should be met,” he said.
The collaborative relationship between Froedtert and Westside Academy demonstrates how resources promote mutual benefit. “We get a wonderful, full-time resource person who is available to work with students, and to assist their parents who often don’t know what to do about certain medical concerns,” Sonnenberg said. “This is especially helpful when you consider that just taking care of the basic health needs for children will help lead to improved academic achievement. This is our school’s first partnership with a major healthcare institution, and Froedtert is a good corporate partner.”
Last Review Date: Dec. 6, 2007 |
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