School nurses and asthma
So what's the Winning With Asthma? It's a way to help out the school nurses by having other people know what to do if a student has an asthma attack.
I just read an article in our local paper, and I am stunned by how hard the school nurses work. I know they don't just take care of asthma, they have to deal with students that have diabetes, seizure disorders, ADHD, and developmental delays just to list a few.
Then, what about the student who falls and hits their head while on the monkey bars? Or someone who falls of the swing and breaks their arm?
In our area, there are 3 school districts. One school district has a nurse/student ratio of 1:6,004, another has 1:4,222 and another has 1:7,643.
What do you do if your son or daughter has an asthma attack? Is the school nurse there? For Kitty, she's fine as long as she has an asthma attack on Thursday between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm. For Son #2, he can have an asthma attack on Mondays between 8:00 am and 12:00 pm. That's when the school nurse is there at their schools. (Like you can ever plan a convenient time to have an asthma attack!)
So, what do you do? I carry my cell phone everywhere I go, usually it's me that's on call. I run over to the school to help out, leaving work or my grocery cart in the middle of the aisle.
There is an option for school teachers, recess guards and secretaries. (or anyone else that wants to learn!) The Utah Department of Health has a program called "Winning with Asthma", it's an online training that takes about 20 minutes. It was originally made for coaches, but anyone who works with kids should take it. It explains what asthma is, shows a student having an asthma attack, and shows how to treat it. After you complete the training, if you put your address in, they will send you a free clipboard that has the warning signs of an asthma attack printed on the back, and when to call 911.
Here's the link http://www.winningwithasthma.org/
I would send it to your child's teachers or anyone else at the school who helps your child (or scouts, or recreation sports) I sent it to Kitty's soccer coaches. I also sent it to her school teacher - last year she had 7 kids in her class with asthma! It might give you a little peace of mind to know that people taking care of your child during the day know what to do.
Log on and do the training, then let me know what you think. I'm always anxious for feedback but don't get many comments on the blog. Feel free to leave a comment, I don't bite!