Archive for November, 2007

With great excitement we are pleased to announce the acquisition of National Health Supply by School Kids Healthcare.

Kim Alexander, Director of Customer Service for School Kids Healthcare, commented “it’s an exciting opportunity for us to continue to have an increased presence and an impact in the school health market. We look forward to providing our full product line, competitive pricing, fast delivery and exceptional customer service to the existing National Health Supply customers. We intend to make the transition for customers a seamless and pleasant experience, and to uphold or exceed the level of service they received from the National Health team.”

Chris Brown, President and CEO of National Health Supply, feels “we have every confidence in the School Kids Healthcare team that our customer orders and the level of service will be handled professionally and in an expedient manner. We thank our customers for their past business and support over the years.”

School Kids Healthcare is a nationwide distributor offering a complete line of school nurse supplies and equipment to help school nurses fulfill their mission.

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The superbugs are here and the phone has been ringing off the hook!  Parents, staff and even grandparents are calling to find out what we are doing to prevent community-associated Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (CA MRSA) in the schools.

The media have been replete with articles about it and have reported some of the details of the fatalities that have resulted.  In the last week alone, I have received emails with information on CA MRSA from the Departments of Public Instruction and Health and Family Services.  The public is uneasy and school nurses, once again, are on the front lines when it comes to this issue in the school environment.

Education is the key.  The school nurse must first educate herself and then the staff and the school community at large.  A frequently asked questions (FAQs) format is often helpful in educating others.  What is MRSA?  What is CA MRSA?  What does an MRSA infection look like?  How is the infection treated?  How can we prevent MRSA infections?  If a student has a MRSA skin infection, what can be done to prevent others from getting infected? 

After education, prevention is critical.  Recommendations for reducing the transmission of CA MRSA among students can be found in numerous locations and are often simply stated, but sometimes difficult to implement.

• Keep skin clean.
• Keep skin protected.
• Know the signs and symptoms of skin infections, to aid in early detection.
• Develop policy and practice guidelines for exclusion of students with skin infections.
• Maintain a clean environment.
• Develop a plan for management of outbreaks.

Luckily, there is a lot of information out there, but you must be selective.  To get started, contact your local and state health departments – they should be able to help you.  For additional resources, the following web sites are recommended:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention:

Questions and answers
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/ar/MRSAPatientInfoSheet.pdf

Overview of pertinent information
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca.html

Information for the public
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_public.html

Clinical management strategies
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/pdf/ar/CAMRSA_ExpMtgStrategies.pdf

Educational materials (posters and information sheet)
www.cdc.gov/ncidod/dhqp/ar_mrsa_ca_posters.html

MRSA in Schools
www.cdc.gov/Features/MRSAinSchools/

Twyla Lato, RN, BSN, NCSN is a School District Nurse for a suburban community in southeast Wisconsin, and a past president of the Wisconsin Association of School Nurses. 
 

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