As a school nurse in the Indian River School District, Stacy Robinson has applied her share of band-aids; she handed out ice packs and took care of the lice. But the scope of action of the school nurse is much broader.
In most Delaware schools, a single school nurse cares for hundreds, if not thousands, of children. From medical emergencies to checking immunization records to state-required vision and hearing exams, the school nurse plays a vital role in pediatric health care.
“We are having a lot of difficulty accessing resources for our children and our population in southern Delaware is growing rapidly,” Robinson said. “Our children deserve to see and eat comfortably, not have a sore mouth, and to be treated promptly for their illnesses.”
Access to health care has always been an issue that Robinson struggled with as a school nurse. In her nine years as a school nurse, no one had ever asked Robinson what she needed.
“Being in Sussex County, we often feel like we have limited resources because we are very rural and farther from major providers,” Robinson said. “Indian River is a huge school district and we have unique needs, so we are always looking for opportunities to advocate on our behalf.
That is, until the University of Delaware College of Health Sciences intervened. Lauren Covingtonassistant professor in the School of Nursing, and Freda Pattersonprofessor and associate dean of research at CHS, were developing strategies to increase access to health services for pediatric populations, particularly in southern Delaware.
“Contacting school nurses was a great gateway to accessing children and their health care needs,” Covington said.
With support from UD’s Center of Biomedical Research Excellence (COBRE) in Cardiovascular Health, Covington and Patterson hosted a dinner last March following CHS Research day which served as an active listening session.
“This was an opportunity for school nurses to come together and talk about health priorities, the barriers they face in helping students and their goals for improving pediatric health,” Covington said. “It was a really rich and dynamic discussion.”
Seventy-five nurses from across the state participated, and from there a genuine community partnership was born.
