A MDPH Message from Karen Robitaille: 
Greetings From the School Health Unit!
https://thegoalchaser.com/gratitude-quotes-for-kids/
I liked this quote because, well, it’s from Winnie the Pooh, who has lots of wise things to say. But also, because it reminded me that even when things are so not great, I can still find something to be grateful for. And usually if I can find one thing, then I can find more.
I know my heart is stuffed full with gratitude for all of you and the work you have carried out relentlessly for almost two full years. I hope you know that even when it seems others don’t recognize all that you have given your schools and communities, I recognize it, and so do your peers. My hope for you this holiday, however you celebrate it, IF you celebrate it, is REST.
I’d like to take this opportunity to give my heartfelt thanks to the School Health Unit team: Caitlin, Juliet, Bob and Lauren. You all work so very hard in service of students you have never met; I appreciate you so much. To the BU SHIELD team, Bev, Erin, Lesly, Olivia, Hannah; we are all so grateful for all the time and effort you put into making sure school nurses have as many tools at their disposal as is possible, and you do it with smiles and grace. The Regional School Nurse Consultants (Shanyn, Jill, Janet, Ann, Veronica & Mary Jane) are more than just your go-to people, they are also MY go-to people, and truly none of us could have made it through the last couple of years without their unending support and good humor. Thank you so much to all these people, and to the many more at MDPH, former school nursing colleagues, and my family and friends for putting up with me and helping me to grow.
But none deserves more thanks than the Director of the Division of Child/Adolescent Health and Reproductive Health (where School Health sits), Jill Clark. Not only is she my direct supervisor, but she is YOUR greatest cheerleader. Any good thing that we have been able to do to support you through this time happens because Jill is behind us and has taken the time to learn what school nurses do and how you contribute to the health of your communities. Thank you, Jill, you’re just the bees’ knees.
With great respect and GRATITUDE,
Karen
Karen Robitaille, MBA, MSN, RN, NCSN
<she, her, hers>
Director of School Health Services
Division of Child/Adolescent Health and Reproductive Health
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington St. 5th floor, Boston, MA 02108
karen.robitaille3@mass.gov
Cell: 781-675-0463
Personal Webex room: https://statema.webex.com/meet/Karen.Robitaille3
|
|
|
GRANT RELATED UPDATES!!
We are (rightfully so!) getting many questions about when grant funds will be available to you for spending. As we work to hire and onboard some help for Juliet, we are definitely a bit behind “normal” years, but we hope to get caught up soon. A few target dates to note:
- The task we are currently focusing on is getting those CSHS FY 20/21 reconciliation forms completed and out to you. Because we remain delayed, we have extended the deadlines for returning these to November 30th. Please watch your email for the forms and let us know promptly if there are any changes to grant contacts or email addresses.
- New CSHS Affiliate grantees should receive award letters and contract forms soon. Again, please watch your email for these and return promptly.
- Existing CSHS Affiliate grantees will have their contracts amended next. (Please see the section later on in the newsletter regarding FY21/22 Affiliate grantee amounts.) Then we will be able to send out the purchase vouchers (PVs), which you will sign and return and then funds should be disbursed within 10 days of our receipt of your PV.
- Juliet is also currently working on CSHS Non-public and Model PV’s, and Affiliate PV’s will go out last. This year there will be TWO PAYMENTS; the first by the end of November and the second in April.
- Lastly, yesterday we shared funding announcements via email regarding the Workforce Development grants. For those who were funded, please keep your eyes open for amendment contracts.
I hope this is helpful and please know that we are working hard to get all funds out to you. I do not have exact answers as to when things will arrive right now, but as I get updated information, I will share with you.
|
|
|
Mandated Reporting for CSHS Funded Schools/Districts:
The link to the Monthly report survey is here and the end-of-year Status Report 21/22 survey is here. All reporting forms, worksheets and instructions were sent out to districts by Bob Leibowitz and worksheets for the monthly report can also be found here, and here is the CSHS end-of-year Status Report 21/22 worksheet. Questions related to CSHS mandated grant reporting should go to: DPH_ESHS_data@MassMail.State.MA.US
|
|
|
Mandated Reporting for Non-CSHS Districts (public school)
Concussion Report Form: Not yet available.
BMI report form: BMI report. CSHS-funded districts and nonpublic schools should NOT submit a separate BMI report, as these data are included in the Status Report. Non-funded districts will use the same link that is used to access the Status Report form.
SBIRT report. CSHS-funded districts and nonpublic schools should NOT submit a separate SBIRT report, as these data are included in the Status Report. Non-funded districts will use the same link that is used to access the Status Report form.
A worksheet for non-funded districts can be found here.
|
|
|
Mandated Reporting for ALL Schools/Districts
Asthma and Diabetes Survey questions may be directed via email to the project mailbox at DPH-BEH-Asthma@state.ma.us.
Epinephrine administration report form.
|
|
Please note the following:
- The Performance Measures for public school districts in the Affiliated and Model programs have been modified and simplified.
- SBIRT data reporting has been simplified. Starting this year, the SBIRT report only requires district-level data for each grade screened, rather than individual-level data. An Excel spreadsheet with individual-level data will no longer be used to submit the data. Instead, the data will now be collected using the same online data collection tool that we use for collecting other district-level data. As a result, the SBIRT data report has been incorporated into the Status Report.
- School districts do not need to submit their SBIRT data until 60 days after completing the last SBIRT screening for the entire district. If submitting the SBIRT data prior to submitting CSHS end-of-year data, school districts can skip to the SBIRT section of the data report by clicking the option to submit “only SBIRT data”, enter the data, and then save the report so it can be edited later. When submitting CSHS Status Report data at the end of the school year, change the option from “only SBIRT data” to “CSHS program data.”
- All the district-wide data (SBIRT, BMI, and CSHS end-of-year data) should be submitted using the same data report, although it does not have to be submitted at the same time. For example, if the SBIRT screenings are completed in December, the SBIRT data can be submitted in January and the district can wait until July 15 to submit the other annual report data. That’s not a problem, as long as the person who submits the SBIRT data saves the link to their online data record by clicking the “Save and Exit” button and saves the report-specific link the pops up on screen. Without that link, you may not be able to edit the data submission, and you would have to submit a completely new record with all of the district’s data. Additional instructions are provided on the first page of the online data tool.
- If we receive multiple data submissions from the same district, we assume that the most recent submission has corrected, updated data, and any prior submissions are discarded.
There are no changes to the Monthly report or other data collection tools.
|
|
|
|
Many of you have asked if there is any flexibility around the evaluation process for school nurses this year; following is the response to this request from DESE:
School Nurse Evaluations 2021-22
The expectations around meaningful supervision and evaluation for all educators remain in place in 2021-22. Educator Evaluation provides an opportunity to recognize and celebrate the excellent work of school nurses during these unprecedented times and to provide them with feedback that can help them continue to grow and strengthen their practice.
DESE recommends elevating the following key priorities in implementing educator evaluation in the 2021-22 school year:
- Collaboration: The educator evaluation process should be a collaborative, partnership-based effort between the nurse and evaluator. This means prioritizing communication, building trusting relationships, and ensuring that the evaluation is reflective of a holistic picture of the nurse’s goals, strengths, and targeted areas for growth. See the Evidence Collection resource or the Quick Reference Guide: Engaging Families in Educator Evaluation for some best practices and recommendations for this priority area.
- Coherence: We recommend focusing evaluation activities around a targeted set of Indicators from the rubric. Identifying 4-6 Focus Indicators is a powerful way to streamline goal-setting, evidence collection, and feedback around the most important priorities for nursing relative to this school year. (See the Focus Indicators for Teachers and School Leaders resources for examples of prioritizing key practices and targeted areas for feedback, support, and collaboration.)
- Culturally Responsive Practice: We believe that the educator evaluation system can and should promote efforts towards more equitable and culturally responsive schools and classrooms. This means leveraging evaluations to recognize and support nurses’ work towards improving health equity and ensuring all students’ health and safety in the return to in-person learning, as well as attending to an evaluation process that is supportive and free from bias. Here are some resources from DESE and the Department of Public Health on school health and racial equity.
|
|
|
|
2021/2022 COVID-19 Protocols and
Testing Information on DESE Website
|
|
|
“Be thankful for what you have; you’ll end up having more. If you concentrate on what you don’t have, you will never, ever have enough.”—Oprah Winfrey
|
|
School Health Screenings for PE Teachers 
BU SHIELD is excited to announce a new course offered: School Health Screenings for PE teachers. This course is free and available for any PE teachers available.
|
|
|
BinaxNow Training Dates Available! Visit here.
|
|
New Mental Health Training Series!
|
|
|
|
Please sign up for these sessions AFTER receiving the BinaxNOW™ test kits. Each session is limited to 20 participants (no more than 2 per district).
BinaxNOW training is not required to begin testing. Those who attended BinaxNOW training last year do not need to attend again.
|
|
SHIELD will be offering a series of mental health trainings delivered pre-recorded webinars over the course of several months (Sept-Feb), ideal for self-paced learning. PDPs and discounts will be offered for attending the full series. For more information, see this flyer. Release dates are below:
- December 9th, 2021
- January 13th, 2022
- February 15, 2022
The first recording is now available for viewing. Register for upcoming dates here.
Please also write that if you have SHIELD credit, it can be used for this course. They can email BU SHIELD at shieldbu@bu.edu with any questions!
|
|
|
The new vision screening protocol is now up on the BU SHIELD website for your reference and can be found here. As a reminder, schools/districts are not mandated to use this protocol until the 2022/2023 school year.
|
|
Vision Screening during COVID. The National Center for Children's Vision and Eye Health at Prevent Blindness has updated the Considerations for Conducting Children's Vision Screening Safely in Schools, Head Start, and Early Care and Education Programs During the Covid-19 Pandemic. The resources includes a downloadable guide and FAQ. Please share these documents with your colleagues.
|
|
|
|
GREAT NEWS! CSHS Affiliate grantees will see another boost in their funding this fiscal year; districts originally funded at $3000 (who got $10,500 in FY21) will receive $14,000 for FY22. Districts originally funded at $5000 (who got $20,000 last year) will get $29,600 in FY22. Model amounts will remain the same as last year. Non-public grantee amounts may have changed; email Juliet or Karen if you have any questions regarding your funding amount.
|
|
Allowable use of CSHS grant funds for COVID-19 response during FY22:
- Consumable supplies needed to safely provide care during COVID (may include gloves, masks, eye protection, scrub/gowns), for school health staff ONLY. Not to exceed 10% of the total budget.
- Reallocation of case management staff hours to address COVID case management during school hours in the form of dedicated nursing staff performing contact tracing and/or case management for COVID cases in the school community (i.e. referral to testing, referral to community resources for isolation & quarantine) under an agreement with the LBOH.
- Health office equipment that addresses COVID-19 emergency response and that will be used in the health office, medical waiting room or AGP room (may include physical barriers and filtration units for those spaces ONLY). Not to exceed 15% of the total budget.
- Model and Affiliate grantees may also use grant funding to support staff that are conducting COVID-19 case management and/or contact tracing. This includes hiring of new staff, as well as paying stipends at hourly nursing rates for work doing COVID-19 contact tracing/case management outside of normal working hours. The intent of this expansion is to allow current nursing staff more time and flexibility to meet other CSHS grant requirements.
PLEASE USE THE FOLLOWING EMAIL ADDRESSES FOR THE APPROPRIATE DOCUMENTS:
Medication Registration: medication.delegation@MassMail.State.MA
US Return of signed CSHS purchase vouchers: cshs.pv@mass.gov
Return of CSHS amendment forms: CSHS.Amendments@mass.gov
Return of CSHS reconciliation forms: CSHS.Reconciliation@mass.gov
Using the correct email address is essential to your documents being received and processed in a timely manner. Thank you!
|
|
|
New School-Located Vaccine Clinic Resources
NASN partnered with the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM) to develop a checklist for school nurses to plan school-located vaccination and a tip-sheet for Immunization Program Managers. With the approval of COVID-19 vaccines for students under the age of 12 years, and flu season coming in fall and winter, SLVs are a strategy to improve the health of students. See resources.
Duke-Margolis partnered with the COVID Collaborative, the Council of the Great City Schools, National Rural Education Association, Rural Schools Collaborative, and AASA: The School Superintendents Association to develop an issue brief on Innovative Strategies for Leveraging Schools as Covid-19 Vaccination Sites.
The Duke-Margolis Center for Health Policy (Duke-Margolis) and the Association of Immunization Managers (AIM), with support from the Rockefeller Foundation, released a series of resources for school leaders on how schools can serve as critical access points for students and families to receive Covid-19 vaccines.
|
|
COVID-19 Update:
MDPH has created a new webpage for pediatric vaccine information for the newest age group expected to gain vaccine approval.
This webpage will be updated as more information is available. Vaxfinder will also be updated as pediatric vaccine becomes available for this age group.
Standing order template for Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: 5 Through 11 Years of Age:
Pfizer-BioNTech COVID-19 Vaccine: 5 Through 11 Years of Age • Standing Orders for Administering Vaccine (cdc.gov)
For Individual case questions, please refer your questions to your local board of health. If you are unable to reach them, please call the Mass Epidemiology Line here: (617) 983-6800
|
|
|
You may be seeing student and staff COVID-19 vaccination records, including those from other countries. AN IMPORTANT NOTE IN REGARD TO FOREIGN VACCINATION RECORDS: Unlike other vaccinations where we accept whatever the foreign formulation is, the U.S. is currently only accepting WHO-approved COVID vaccination formulations. Here is the link to the list of COVID-19 vaccines within the WHO EUL/PQ evaluation process; any vaccine marked “finalized” is accepted in the U.S. Please note, nurses should check this information frequently, as it is subject to change.
|
|
|
Your students might appreciate this course designed by researchers at Boston University Wheelock College of Education & Human Development in partnership with Medway Public Schools: Stress and COVID-19: A Course for Teens
For School Health Professionals: The Emotional PPE Project connects healthcare workers in need with licensed mental health professionals who can help. No cost. No insurance. Just a trained professional to talk to.
More Self-Care Resources can be found on SHIELD's Website here.
Massachusetts tool to locate vaccination sites and open appointments by zip code.
Vaccine Communication Resources (18 and younger)
New COVID-19 vaccination for youth ages 12+
- For details, including information on parental consent, and FAQs, visit here.
- Youth aged 12 and above may be preregistered here.
- COVID-19 vaccine graphics for teens and young adults.
Public Service Announcements
- MA Medical Society newly-elected Massachusetts Medical Society president, Dr. Carole Allen, recorded video urging parents to get their children vaccinated.
- @MassDPH
Clinical Considerations from the CDC found here.
COVID-19 Vaccine Fact Sheet for Preteens and Teens can be found here.
School Nursing Staff may also find this contact tracing data collection spreadsheet.
The testing standing order template can be found on the BU SHIELD website front page under "COVID-19 Resources Page".
|
|
|
For key information about managing COVID-19 in Massachusetts, see these websites.
SHIELD COVID-19/BinaxNow Resources.
MDPH Website.
SHAH Family Foundation Pooled Testing Website.
|
For additional resources surrounding COVID-19, visit these websites.
NASN COVID-19 Resources.
|
|
Equity and Social Justice Webinar Series
The BU Wheelock Equity and Social Justice webinar series features academic and community experts in dialogue about a wide variety of topics related to equity and social justice.
- How are the Teens & Tweens? Insights into Adolescent Mental Health and Connectedness During COVID-19 - Thursday December 9, 2021 3:00-4:00pm
Recordings of past webinar sessions can be found here and here.
3 Body Qigong: Managing Stress for Health and Healing
Sponsored by Boston Children's Hospital Pediatric Medical Services, Community Education Initiative program. Thursday December 16, 2021 - 4:30pm to 6:30pm EST - $40 - 2.0 Nursing Contact Hours/PDPs Offered - Via Zoom - For more information and to register for event visit here.
Virtual Guerette Symposia Series
The BU CME/CNE Office is providing two live webinars with a discounted price for SHIELD nurses. Details of the courses below, credit available. Coupon Code for $25 off: GSV25
Motivational Interviewing Core Skills: Helping Your “Stuck” Patients to Engage Change (Part of the Virtual Guerette Symposia Series). Link is here.
Eric Devine, PhD
Thursday, December 2, 2021 | 1:30-4:30pm ET
The objective of this course is to help participants acquire core motivational interviewing skills that can be used to help clients engage in health behavior changes. This course may be particularly helpful for providers who have patients or clients who appear to be “stuck” or ambivalent about engaging in behavioral health changes. The course will focus on understanding the spirit of Motivational Interviewing, using the OARS (open questions, Affirmation, Reflection, and Summaries) to find client’s intrinsic reasons for change, listening for different types of change talk and different strengths of change talk, and using directive and strategic responses to consolidate commitment for change.
|
|
|
|
|
School Health Resources:
