Education Budget Appropriation for School Nursing

by Collen Price

With only tight funding available, many deserving budget items will be neglected. Therefore, the school nurse funding is at risk for reduction or elimination during the legislative process.

The 1996 legislature, in the School Nurse Incentive Act, established that a school nurse have, at a minimum, licensure as a registered nurse. It also set the goal of establishing the nurse to student ratio at one nurse for every 5,000 students. Since that time we have been fortunate to achieve annual funding of $499,000 to assist the USOE to improve the availability of school nursing services throughout the state. This funding, in combination with matching funds from local school districts and health departments, has helped decrease Utah's school nurse to student ratio from 1 nurse to over 8,000 students (in 1996-97) to the current ratio of 1 nurse to 6,181. The proposed funding would enable us to meet the legislative goal of 1 nurse to 5,000 students. With this goal achieved, our ratio remains well below that recommended by the National Association of School Nurses of 1 nurse for 750 students.

Recent Utah statistics show a steady increase in the number of children with chronic conditions such as asthma and diabetes. The American Lung Association reported in 1999 that there were over 50,500 school-aged children with asthma in Utah, a 9% increase since 1997. At Primary Children's Medical Center the number of newly diagnosed children with diabetes, an 87% increase from 1998, and a 68% increase from the 1994-98 average. Both conditions can be life threatening, particularly if proper education and management are not done in the school. Each care plan developed for children with these and other health conditions requires hours to ensure proper understanding and education between health care providers, parents and school staff. School nurses are vital to ensure that a safe environment exists for children having health conditions in the schools.

The problems that affect the health of Utah's young people can adversely affect their education. Children who are at highest risk of school failure very often are those at highest risk of health related problems.

Schools and school nurses are in a unique position to reach out to many children with special health care needs and ensure that all children are "healthy kids who become better learners." The expanding role of the school nurse demands a highly skilled professional, who is an integral member of the educational support team. As more medically fragile children and those with chronic illnesses enter the regular school setting, school nurses' roles will continue to increase in demand and importance.

We would appreciate your support for school nursing funding through letters and telephone calls to your legislators on the Joint Appropriations Subcommittee for Public Education and the Executive Committee.

Thank you for taking a few minutes to make nursing count.