Massachusetts School Nurse Organization, Outlook Archives

Welcome back! I know everyone is anxious to hear what has been happening with the organization this summer. These past two months have been very busy for the MSNO board. MSNO has seen a rapid increase in new members over the past year; this is very exciting. I want to thank all those new members and welcome back the yearly members. Our membership goal was 800 last year and we reached 776. It would be wonderful to see our organization reach 900 members. It is so important that school nurses have a connection with their professional organization. So many times in speaking with school nurses about MSNO their response is "I didn't know," or, "I wasn't told." The organization has always tried to keep its membership informed of current issues that pertain to our practice. School nurses who do not belong to the organization continue to be isolated in the changes that are occurring in school health. As President of MSNO, I ask you to join me in continuing to strengthen our organization by encouraging your colleagues to join MSNO. We have a lot of work to do this year, and we can only accomplish it if we join together, as you know, there is strength in numbers. We are always looking for volunteers to work on various committees. If interested, please contact me through our website at www.msno.org. I will be glad to put you in contact with the committee chairperson.

This year we will be doing things a little differently. As you can tell, our newsletter has a new publisher, Mainstay. They will be working with us to produce an informative and timely newsletter. It has become very difficult to rely strictly on volunteers, especially when we all have very busy lives. The Board voted to have the newsletter done by an outside source, and we look forward to working with the staff at Mainstay this year. We would very much like to hear from our membership about what they would like to see in the newsletter.

I also want to tell you about some other things that are going on with the organization. We are trying something new with our Fall and Spring conferences; this year they will run for two days. This will give school nurses the opportunity to network with other school nurses throughout the state. We would like to know what you want at the conferences; they need to be fun as well as educational.

We've also partnered with the American Heart Association in looking at AED's and the "CPR in School Program" for school districts. Our lobbyist, John Bartley, has been keeping us abreast of legislative bills that involve school nurses. There will be a legislative section that will let you know the status of the bills and what need to do as a group.

I'm really excited this year to take on the challenges that are in store for us as an organization. We need to continue to speak with legislators about who we are and how valuable we are to the schools that care for our children. As school nurses, you are very important to the educational system and you play a monumental role in keeping our children healthy in order for them to succeed in school. And for that I thank you.

NASN Directors' Report
Marcia Buckminster
Representative to NASN Board of Directors

During the last year the National Association of School Nurses has been struggling with a reorganization plan which will be finalized at the June 2002 conference in Orlando, Florida. Below is a comparison between the current structure and the proposed structure. Please read it carefully as it will impact the by-laws of NASN and MSNO's representation.

Current Structure	Proposed Structure
1. Board of Directors-54 members; Term length-4 years.	1. Board of Directors-13 members; Term length-2 years.
2. BOD includes Executive Committee and one delegate from each of the 50 states.	2. Includes Executive Committee and eight delegates elected by the House of Delegates at the annual conference. One member will be elected by the general membership.
3. Authority-Conduct affairs of the Corporation in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and bylaws. Establish association policies and procedures. Delegate authority and define accountability for the implementation of Association policies. Exercise the Corporate responsibility and fiduciary duties of the Association consistent with applicable provisions of law. Hire and supervise the Executive Director of the Corporation.	3. Authority-Conduct affairs of the Corporation in accordance with the Articles of Incorporation and bylaws. Establish association policies and procedures. Delegate authority and define accountability for the implementation of Association policies. Exercise the Corporate responsibility and fiduciary duties of the Association consistent with applicable provisions of law. Hire and supervise the Executive Director of the Corporation.
4. NA	4. House of Delegates-will have elected representative from each state affiliate.
5. NA	5. Authority: Conduct affairs of the House of Delegates (HOD) in accordance with the bylaws and directives adopted by the membership. Elect eight members to serve on the BOD. Establish rules of procedure for meetings of the House of Delegates. Determine the positions of the Corporation related to school nurse practice issues and public policy. Elect two members to serve on the Nominating Committee.
6. Duties: Establish goals and objectives to accomplish the mission of the Corporation. Monitor and evaluate the programs designed to implement the established goals and objectives. Ensure that the resources necessary for achievement are available and used efficiently. Establish and maintain current operating guidelines for the Corporation.	6. Duties: Develop and promulgate school nursing standards. Identify practice issues to the BOD for development. Design, monitor and evaluate the programs that address the practice issues approved for development. Participate in setting strategic goals of the Association as identified in the operating guidelines. Participate in the work of the Association.
7. Term of Office: State Director can be re-elected to serve on BOD after being off the Board for at least four years. Term length is four years.	7. Term of Office: A delegate may be re-elected to serve on the HOD after being off the HOD for at least one term (two years). Term length is two years with option of second term.
8. Removal: Stays the same.	8. Removal: Name change to HOD.
9. Meetings: Meetings of the Executive Committee shall be at least once a year. Other meetings may be called by the president as deemed necessary.	9. Meetings: Meetings of the BOD shall be held at least once a year. Other meetings may be called by the president as deemed necessary.

More information about the restructuring will be in the January and May NASN newsletters. More information about the bylaw changes and restructuring of NASN will be available at the New England Conference which will be held in Rhode Island in the Spring of 2002. Watch for details.

Adolescent Depression Study
Kathy O'Neill, RN, MS

McLean Hospital and Northeastern University are seeking volunteers, ages 12-17, to participate in an eight-week study of an investigational medication or placebo on adolescent depression. Eligible candidates receive a free assessment and up to $100. In addition, these volunteers may also participate in an MRI study of the effects of investigational medication or placebo as part of the same study. Children completing this part of the study may receive up to $100 as well.

The study will involve comparing antidepressants to placebo in the treatment of adolescent depression. As school nurses who work with this age group are aware, adolescent depression is a great health concern in today's society, evidenced by the increase in incidence of the diagnosis, suicide attempts and rates, as well as in the episodes of violence.

The nurse researchers who are conducting this study recently published an article entitled, "Psychopharmacologic Treatment of Adolescent Depression" in the February 2001 issue of Archives of Psychiatric Nursing. The article critically reviews the literature on the psychopharmacologic treatment of adolescent depression. Although double-blind studies have been conducted on some medications, placebo-controlled, double-blind studies are limited in this population.

For information and eligibility criteria, call Carol Blod, RN, Ph.D. at (617)855-3325.

Mary Ferraro
School Nurse of the Year 2001-2002

Mary Ferraro was named Massachusetts School Nurse of the Year 2001 at the MSNO annual Spring 2001 conference. She has been working as a school nurse in the Framingham Public School system for over fourteen (14) years. Mrs. Ferraro is a valued member of the staff at the Charlotte A. Dunning School.

Mary's health room is a welcoming environment where children know they will always be greeted with a smile. To promote student relaxation and a state of well-being, Mrs. Ferraro has added music to the health room atmosphere. Children may listen to a variety of classical, instrumental and natural sound recordings. Furthermore, Mary has also created a health room library with a collection of books that serve as a resource for the children on a variety of health topics.

Mrs. Ferraro is a true professional always willing to speak out for school nursing and children's health issues. An active member of MSNO, she has made telephone calls to legislators and nursing colleagues to encourage support for school health services. She is a valuable resource to her colleagues and a mentor to new school nurses, always gracious and willing to share her best practice ideas.

Mrs. Ferraro, not only makes the children feel comfortable in her health office, but also addresses the concerns of their parents. One mother stated that Mrs. Ferraro made a challenging situation easier because of her experience and kind manner.

MSNO is pleased to honor Mary Ferraro. She is an excellent representative and advocate for school nurses in Massachusetts

Retirement Planning
Robbie Cobbett

School nurses who are planning ahead for retirement need to be aware of the federal laws governing Social Security and public employee pension recipients. Many school nurses and their spouses have been/are employed outside of the municipal setting and have paid into Social Security. Many have assumed that the full benefits will be there.

All public employees should be aware that their Social Security benefits will be reduced if they are also receiving a public pension.

Planning for retirement should include a clear understanding about Social Security, specifically of the Government Pension Offset (GPO) and the Windfall Elimination Provision (WEP) laws. These particularly impact public employees in states which do not participate in the Social Security System. Massachusetts is one of the 15 states where the impact is most acute.

Specific information about Social Security benefits, fact sheets and frequently asked questions can be downloaded and/or printed from the Social Security website: www.ssa.gov/retire/wep.htm (WEP information) and www.ssa.gov/retire/gpo.htm (GPO information).

There are several bills which have been proposed to address both the GPO and WEP laws. To find out more about them, go to our website: www.msno.org/links.html. Scroll to government links and then to Thomas-Legislative information.

Contact your Representative and Senators Kennedy and Kerry about these bills. Advocate for their passage! You can do this all through the MSNO website, as well as by calling elected officials.

Kathleen DeFillippo
MSNO Scholarship Award Recipient

Kathleen DeFillippo was chosen as the MSNO Scholarship Award Recipient of the Year 2001. She is a special projects nurse for the Lawrence Public Schools' Enhanced School Health with Consultation Grant. Ms. DeFillippo has been a school nurse in Lawrence since 1986 and is a vital part of their health services and education programs.

Kathleen has been an active member of MSNO for over thirteen (13) years, serving as MSNO secretary, legislative co-chair, awards committee co-chair and co-chair of Region II.

Ms. DeFillippo is currently enrolled in the Master of Education in School Administration program at the University of Massachusetts at Lowell. She believes school nurses play a vital role in bridging the gap between the health care and educational communities, and that this advance degree will assist her in working more effectively within the health and educational arenas. Utilizing her new skills and expanded knowledge, she will continue to be a strong advocate for improving school health services.

Encourage NASN Members to apply for the NASN Scholarships!
Deadlines: April 1, 2002
Shirley Steel Educational Award Scholarship

Two Shirley Steel Educational Award Scholarships will be awarded towards educational pursuits. These awards include $750 toward educational expenses, free tuition to NASN Annual Conference during the year awarded and NASN recognition for education advancing local health care of children.
Criteria:
Current and active member of NASN for as least the part two years

Currently licensed as a RN in state of employment

Bachelor's degree or pursuing BSN/MSN

Commitment to healthy students and advancing school nursing practice.

Contact NASN office for details (877) 627-6476 (toll free).

Sally Williams Legislative Scholarship

One Sally Williams Legislative Scholarship will be awarded for legislative training. This $1500 award included legislative training and free NASN Conference tuition.

Criteria:
Current and active NASN member for past five years

Currently serving in elected/appointed position in state school nurse organization or NASN

Letter of recommendation from school nurse organization

Written action plan to apply legislative education.

Contact NASN office for details (877) 627-6476 (toll free).

Membership News
Robbie Cobbett

Dear School Nurse Colleagues:

Welcome to another MSNO membership year! You should have received your 2001-2002 membership application-the lavender colored mailing that arrived at the end of August. If you did not receive your mailing, either at home or at school, the application may be downloaded from www.msno.org/form2.html. Please be sure to complete all applicable areas on your application, even if all is the same. If you write in "same as before," for instance, it just means that the form will have to be completed by someone else (me) from the "before" information-an added process at the end of my regular workday. Once the application for MSNO is processed, it then goes to NASN for their processing.

MSNO is an all volunteer organization (we have no paid staff.), and we rely on your input and assistance with the various MSNO committees. Whatever time you can offer-at home or with the MSNO Board at our monthly meetings is most welcome. Meeting dates are posted on the website. Presently there are Region chairs which are vacant; working with a co-chair often makes this valuable position more manageable. Our webmaster would also welcome some assistance. Contact the chair of the committee which is of interest to you and see how you might help. Participation is both personally and professionally rewarding.

Please be sure to update your e-mail address with MSNO. Beth Thomson has compiled an MSNO e-mail address book which maintains the confidentiality of your e-mail address while allowing MSNO to send you immediate information relevant to school nursing, legislative issues which require prompt action, the pay equity lawsuit, etc.

I look forward to adding your name to the membership list for 2001-2002.

MSNOnurse
Beth Thomson, E-mail editor

MSNOnurse is the name of the free informational e-mail service available since May 2001 to MSNO members only. The goal of MSNOnurse is to forward information to MSNO members in a timely manner. When members provide their e-mail addresses on membership forms, they will be invited to join MSNOnurse. Topica.com, the e-mail provider, will send instructions for confirming subscriptions at that time. Requiring members to confirm subscriptions maintains the privacy of members' e-mail addresses. Confidentiality of e-mail addresses is a prime concern of the Massachusetts School Nurse Organization.

MSNOnurse subscribers receive e-mail messages at about the rate of one per week. Some recent topics have included: updated information to guide school nurses in advocating for the Massachusetts 2001 budget for Enhanced School Health Services, Senate Bill 1361, enhanced retirement, implementing pesticide bans in schools, accessing the Bill Doran Award for School Nursing, an update on the 2001 Massachusetts Legislative Committee on Nursing and much more. All e-mail messages are stored in an accessible archive.

Current MSNO members can join MSNOnurse by sending a blank e-mail to www.msno-subscribe@topica.com.

School Nurse Pay Equity Lawsuit Update
August 2001

On January 18, 2001, a hearing was held in Suffolk Superior Court on the Massachusetts Department of Education's Motion to Dismiss the suit filed by MSNO (Ann L. Greenbaum et al vs. Mass. Dept. of Education et al). Unfortunately, Judge Thayer Freeman-Smith's opinion supported the Department of Education's Motion to Dismiss.

We are now in the appeal process. Attorney Rossman filed an intent to appeal. The brief as due in mid-September. We must now be patient again and wait for the next step in the legal process.

NASN CDROM Now Available!

Promote your profession and the National Association of School Nurses with this new interactive presentation entitled: You Can't Afford Not to Have a School Nurse. The 20 minute program provides narrated photo animation on the school nursing profession, with true-life accounts of school nurses saving lives in emergency situations. Enclosed with the CDROM is a narrative booklet that contains information on how to use the presentation when showing to schools, parents, and/or the local community organizations. This disc is available to members for $35 and to non-members for $45.

To order, send check or money order to:

NASN Easter Office
P.O. Box 1300
Scarborough, ME 04070-1300
or call 1-877-627-6476 to order

New England Eye Institute (NEEI) Partners with School Nurses

Coordinating and providing required vision screenings in the midst of everything else that happens in the course of a school nurse's day is no small task. Yet school nurses know that targeting a vision problem and notifying parents about needed follow-up care is critical to a child's learning and development. In several Boston Public Schools, the New England Eye Institute (NEEI) is providing needed help with vision screenings. They also are collaborating with school nurses about solutions for ensuring eye care follow-up once a problem has been detected- something many school nurses describe as an ongoing challenge.

NEEI is the clinical service division of the New England College of Optometry. A key part of their mission is to increase access to quality eye care. Creating partnerships with other health care providers and developing innovative ways of providing eye care to children who otherwise may not receive it is an important part of what they do. NEEI operates a comprehensive eye care practice in the Fenway neighborhood of Boston. They also provide several outreach programs.

NEEI eye care teams-consisting of an optometrist team leader and students from the New England College of Optometry-travel throughout greater Boston with the latest transportable hand-held optometric equipment, bringing vision care right to their patients' home or school. Depending on the individual partnership, the level of outreach service can range from screenings to full on-site clinics. NEEI provides pediatric vision services to kids at many locations.

According to Massachusetts general law, all public school children must receive an annual vision screening. "While school nurses work with children's primary providers to ensure that this screening happens as part of the annual physical exam," says Debra Fox, Assistant Director of School Health, Boston Public Schools, "there are still many children that require the screening. The responsibility falls solely on the school nurses and health paraprofessionals." Ann Austin, RN., who is the school nurse at the Ellis School, a Boston Public School in Roxbury, appreciates the help with accomplishing required screenings, especially since NEEI provides the screenings at no cost to her school. Austin explains that the NEEI team arrives on prearranged days-typically a couple of days per week over the course of a few months. They set up a screening area in a convenient room, such as the nurse's office or the school library. She estimates that NEEI examined at least 150 children at her school last year, which represents one-third of the school population.

According to Stacy Lyons, O.D., F.A.A.O., Chief of Pediatric Optometry and Binocular Vision Services at the New England Eye Institute, the NEEI team looks for signs of problems such as amblyopia (lazy eye) and significant refractive error. They assess how well the eyes work together and how well the eyes move. The team then provides documentation to the school nurse so that he or she can follow-up with a parent and encourage the family to seek follow-up care. Although the screening is not a comprehensive eye exam, it is a more thorough screening than school nurses are required to complete. "The feedback from school nurses has been overwhelmingly positive," says Fox, who believes it is a terrific support for school nurses when the team can spend 20 minutes with a child and provide a more thorough exam than they would typically get. She also noted the convenience of NEEI's portable equipment. The nurses feel confident and reassured that kids have access to the latest technology and equipment that is well maintained and used by eye care experts. Fox adds that the collaboration is a great resource for nurses, since vision is so closely tied to students' learning, and school nurses are often the first place a student or teacher will turn with a complaint. The NEEI outreach programs also involve that blending of health and education. The partnerships with school nurses have been "win-win" for schools and for NEEI. Nurses get help fulfilling screening requirements and get quality exams for their patients, and New England College of Optometry students get terrific clinical education and witness firsthand the barriers to care and the logistical challenges of ensuring follow-up.

For more information about NEEI programs and to explore how NEEI may be able to collaborate with you, call (617)236-6311 or visit their website at wwwe.ne-eyeinstitute.org.

Heartsaver CPR in the Schools (CiS) Program

The American Heart Association has developed a national school-based CPR program: Heartsaver CPR in the Schools (CiS). This program is specifically designed for middle and high school students. The CiS program can significantly increase the number of lay bystanders who recognize the signs of an emergency, know when to phone 911, and know how to perform cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR). The more bystanders who know when to call 911 and how to perform CPF, the more likely it is that victims of sudden cardiac arrest will receive immediate CPR, early defibrillation, and advanced life support. These interventions have been proven to significantly reduce disability and death from heart attack and sudden cardiac arrest.

THE AHA and its Southeastern New England Regional Emergency Cardiovascular Care Committee endorses the CiS and school-based early defibrillation programs as an important means to save the lives of thousands of cardiac arrest victims. In the greater Boston area, school districts have the opportunity to apply for one automated external defibrillator (AED) that has been donated for implementation in the school districts.

For additional information on this AED opportunity, please call Erin Mattson (ext. 3154) or Grace DeSouza (ext. 3123) at AHA (800)662-1701.

For more information on implementing the AHA CPR in the Schools program, visit the AHA website: www.americanheart.org and click on Learn CPR link, or call (877)AHA-4CPR.

Regional District News

Region IV: Catherine Grabowski

It is my pleasure to introduce the new Chairperson of Region IV (Western Massachusetts), Linda Cochenour. Linda has been a school nurse and an MSNO member for six years. She is a retired navy nurse and presently the nurse leader in the Ludlow Public Schools. Linda's organizational and creative skills will help her to provide great leadership for the Western Massachusetts school nurses. I thank her for taking over these duties. She is working with Mary Lou Donahue of the East Longmeadow Schools to plan continuing education programs for our area. Please contact her cochenour@msno.org with your ideas and volunteer to help with programs.

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