The Colonial School District Nurses hosted the DSNA Fall Conference that took place on November 3rd in Dover at the Sheraton.  This is an annual event to provide the school nurses with an evening of fellowship, recognition, and continuing education.  Over 130 nurses from all three counties attended the event.

The evening begun with a DSNA business meeting.  Also, at this time there were recognitions.  First, the anual Friends of School Nursing awards were given to two individuals who have partnered with Delaware school nurses and helped to support health care initiatives for students.  Recipients were Kristin Bennett, RN, MSN, Public Health Nursing Director and Suzanne Hamel, Department of Education, Eschool Support (state-wide health care data base). 

Two DSNA members Debbie Englehart, Brandywine Springs School in the Red Clay School District and Cristina Kraiter, Delaware College Preparatory Academy are newly certified in school nursing.  Debbie Englehart won a DSNA drawing that will pay for the national certification exam.

The continuing education presentation was The Impact of Gang Activity and Illicit Drugs on the School Environment.  Detective Tim Morris from the Delaware State Police and Detective Melissa Bell from the New Castle County Police Department discussed the impact of gang activity on the school environment.  An informative discussion on possible gang presence by way of using color, clothing, professional team insignia and tagging were discussed, as well as gang presence in Delaware.

The second part of the evening was by Kenneth Watson of the Delaware National Guard, working for the Delaware State Police on the illegal use of drugs in the school environment.  His discussion covered many of the familiar drugs such as, marijuana and heroin. He also reviewed new street drugs,such as synthetic marijuana, K2 and spice.

Contact information of the speakers:

tim.morris@state.de.us

kenneth.watson@state.de.us

mlbell@nccde.org

Delaware School Nurse of the Year (SNOY) celebration took place on October 9, 2011 at the Chesapeake Inn.  Loretta Newsom school nurse at the Alfred G. Waters Middle School in the Appoquinimink School District is the 2011-2012 School Nurse of the Year.  Nurse Newsom has been a school nurse for 10 years and has contributed to the profession of school nursing on a local, state, and national level.  Mrs. Newsom has developed and facilitated numerous health projects that include increase movement in school, after-school health clubs, and awareness/fund raising for students with special health care needs.  Loretta Newsom is a former Delaware School Nurse Association President and has advocated for all school nurses in regards to professional credentials and salaries.

The SNOY celebration was attended by school nurses state-wide, legislators, and members of Loretta’s family.  Many tributes and SNOY traditions were shared.   Beth Light DSNA President and Pat Guilday DSNA President Elect and former SNOY shared the legacy of the DSNA membership and SNOY traditions.  DSNA presented Loretta with a gift to the National Association of School Nurses Annual Conference which will take place in San Francisco in June 2012. Senator Carper, Senator Hall-Long, and Representative Walker, delivered proclamations from the Governor, the Senate, and the House of Representatives.

Loretta stated “life is about service and stepping up when needed.”  School nursing is truly a profession of service to students, families, and communities.  The School Nurse of the Year event was a perfect venue to display the profession of school nursing.

The Delaware Nurses Association and the Delaware Organization of Nurse Leaders hosted the annual Delaware Excellence in Nursing Practice Awards on July 14, 2011 in Dover. There were approximately 160 nurses representating the three counties and health care agencies throughout the state. Key note speaker was Terri Haller, American Nurses Assoication Treasurer. Latisha Bracy, Project Director to US Senator Chris Coons shared a letter from Senator Coons regarding his gratitude to all the Delaware nurses. There were 9 cateogries of awards. DSNA member Susan Hoffmann won for Community Based Nursing. Susan is the NASN Director for DSNA. In addition to being an outstanding school nurse at the W.B. Simpson Elementary School in the Caesar Rodney School District she is involved in every aspect of DSNA. Susan is also a NASN HANDS (Helping Administer to the Needs of Students with Diabetes in School) instructor and has traveled the country educating all school nurses in the care of students with diabetes.

Voices of Meningitis Challenge

As school nurses we can play an important role in educating families in our community about vaccination against meningococcal disease, a rare but serious infection that can cause meningitis and take the life of a child in just a single day.

The Voices of Meningitis Challenge is a program designed to encourage school nurses to educate local schools and communities about meningococcal disease vaccination and recognize them for their efforts. As part of the Challenge, NASN is asking you to proactively conduct meningococcal meningitis awareness activities to reach families with this important information. Free online resources, guidance, and support are available to assist you in your efforts. I am proud to a Voices of Meningitis Champion for the Mid Atlantic Region.

Feel free to contact me at susan.hoffmann@cr.k12.de.us or 302-697-3207 if I can be of any assistance in your efforts to spread the word about this important issue.

Voices Challenge Submission Form
As activities are conducted, NASN urges you to fill out the "Voices Challenge Submission Form" highlighting your awareness efforts (multiple forms can be submitted) so your activities can be recognized and shared with your peers. You can send submission forms back to NASN via email (voiceschallenge@nasn.org) or mail them to NASN's headquarters at:
8484 Georgia Ave., Suite 420
Silver Spring, MD 20910
ATTN: Voices Challenge

All school nurses who send NASN submission form(s) will be recognized. Three school nurses will be selected to have their efforts presented at the 2012 NASN Annual Conference in San Francisco, CA **(Each winner will receive up to $2,000 to cover travel and hotel expenses for duration of meeting: ANCC regulations prohibit payment for registration fees.**) Deadline for submissions: December 31, 2012.

Remember, no effort is too small to highlight and the submission form only takes a few minutes to complete.

Voices State Challenge
In addition to NASN recognizing school nurses individually who participate in the Voices Challenge, we're also creating some healthy competition among our state affiliates. The three states with the highest percentage of participation in the Challenge (as measured by submission forms received), will win a sponsored activity during a 2012 state annual conference (up to $500).

Resources are available from NASN

http://www.nasn.org/Default.aspx?tabid=649

Voices of Meningitis Challenge "Tips for Success": Provides examples of activities school nurses can conduct in their own school and communities to educate parents and students about meningococcal disease and the importance of vaccination.

Educational materials: Resources that can be distributed to parents or posted within your school to help educate about the disease:

Posters[English] [Spanish] (note: posters print on legal size paper)
Brochure [English] [Spanish]
Fact sheet [English] [Spanish]
Report card sticker [English] [Spanish] (note: is for printing on Avery address labels 1" x 2-5/8" (Product # 5160)
General parent letter [English] [Spanish]
State mandate parent letter [English] [Spanish]
Presentation to parents (note: Presentations include slides notes. Save to your computer to view slides and notes using PowerPoint software.)
Web site widget (graphic with link to Voices of Meningitis Web site)
Web site widget (graphic with link to this page, the Voices of Meningitis Challenge Web page)

Voices Challenge Mailing List

Consider adding your name to the Voices Challenge mailing list to receive program updates throughout the year.

The Voices of Meningitis Campaign
Voices of Meningitis is an educational initiative of the National Association of School Nurses (NASN) in collaboration with sanofi pasteur.  The campaign brings together school nurses from across the country, along with families personally affected by meningococcal meningitis, to share their personal experiences and give “voice” to this

For more information on the Voices of Meningitis, visit the Web site at: www.VoicesOfMeningitis.org