Fort Wayne Community Schools Additional Health Resources
Influenza ("the flu") is unpredictable and can be severe, especially for children and those with compromised immune systems. Each year, thousands of children get sick with seasonal influenza, and for some, seasonal flu can lead to hospitalization or even death. The CDC estimates between 5 and 20 percent of U.S. residents get the flu each year and more than 200,000 people are hospitalized for flu-related complications each year. The single best way to protect your children from influenza is to get them vaccinated each year. CDC recommends that everyone 6 months of age and older get a seasonal flu vaccine. In addition, vigilant adherence to common sense health and hygiene practices is one of the best ways to protect yourself from becoming infected. Careful and frequent hand washing, covering your cough and sneeze, staying home when you are ill and keeping children home when they are ill will help everyone stay healthy.
The Flu Vaccine Finder locates flu vaccine clinics near you. Simply enter your zip code or city and state to find mapped locations of flu vaccine clinics.
Know What to Do About the Flu
The Know What to Do About the Flu widget provides a graphic with links to cdc.gov.
Influenza Resources
COVID-19 (Coronavirus) Information
Fort Wayne Community Schools is committed to the safety and well-being of our students, staff and families. As a part of that commitment, we work closely with other governmental agencies to prepare for crisis, including pandemic preparedness. On this page, we will frequently update information regarding COVID-19 (Coronavirus). Please visit our web page to learn more. Learn More Here
Diabetes
School Nurses provide the following services to students who need diabetes management at school:
- Acts as a resource for school staff regarding diabetes management.
- Train school personnel to give diabetes care when the nurse is not present.
- Teach students about diabetes and helps them find successful ways to manage it.
- Encourage student and family involvement in community diabetes activities.
- Are the liaison between physicians, families, school personnel and students to balance educational goals with health needs.
- Promote student and staff awareness about Type 2 diabetes and its prevention by increasing exercise and improving eating habits.
Diabetes Education
Care Plans and Instructions
It is imperative that all diabetes plans, supplies (insulin, syringes, testing supplies, snacks, etc.) be in place at school prior to the first day of attendance. Please ask about a conference with school staff. Contact your school nurse.
Other Forms You May Need
- Field Trip Permission Form (when parents can’t go)
- Menu Request Form (to get carb counts for school lunches)
- Authorization to Provide Diabetes Care Including Glucagon Injection by Trained Non-medical School Personnel
- Medication Permit
- Consent to Release Medical Information
- Medication Permit - Self Carry
Resources
"Hotshots" is the newsletter published during the school year by our diabetes nurse educator. It contains community and special event news along with tips for dealing with diabetes issues. Your copy of "Hotshots" will be sent home from schools with your student.
Care of Illness
Learning and health go hand in hand. In order for children to learn, they need to be in school. Ill children have difficulty staying focused and on task in the classroom. Notify your school when your child is ill or has a contagious disease.
Please contact your family health care provider or school nurse with questions about the information given here. This information is designed as a guideline and explains the Fort Wayne Community Schools Health Services illness protocols. This is not a substitute for advice from your family health care provider.
MRSA
There have been many stories lately about students across the city, state and country contracting Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus Aureus (MRSA). At Fort Wayne Community Schools we take great care to make sure our students attend school in a safe and healthy environment. When we have health issues we work closely with the Fort Wayne-Allen County Department of Health, as well as the Indiana Department of Health and U.S. Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, when necessary. The following information is from the CDC regarding MRSA.
Fact Sheet
According to the Centers for Disease Control and Prevention, MRSA infections are skin infections that may appear as pustules or boils which often are red, swollen, painful, or have pus or other drainage. These skin infections commonly occur at sites of visible skin trauma, such as cuts and abrasions, and areas of the body covered by hair (e.g., back of neck, groin, buttock, armpit, beard area of men).
Almost all MRSA skin infections can be effectively treated by drainage of pus with or without antibiotics. More serious infections, such as pneumonia, bloodstream infections, or bone infections, are very rare in healthy people who get MRSA skin infections.
MRSA is usually transmitted by direct skin-to-skin contact or contact with shared items or surfaces that have come into contact with someone else’s infection (e.g., towels, used bandages).
By practicing good hygiene; covering skin abrasions or cuts with a clean dry bandage until healed; avoiding sharing personal items (e.g., towels, razors) that come into contact with your bare skin; using a barrier (e.g., clothing or a towel) between your skin and shared equipment such as weight-training benches; and maintaining a clean environment by establishing cleaning procedures for frequently touched surfaces and surfaces that come into direct contact with people’s skin.
The decision to close a school for any communicable disease should be made by school officials in consultation with local and/or state public health officials. However, in most cases, it is not necessary to close schools because of a MRSA infection in a student. It is important to note that MRSA transmission can be prevented by simple measures such as hand hygiene and covering infections.
Covering infections will greatly reduce the risks of surfaces becoming contaminated with MRSA. In general it is not necessary to close schools to "disinfect" them when MRSA infections occur. MRSA skin infections are transmitted primarily by skin-to-skin contact and contact with surfaces that have come into contact with someone else’s infection.
Usually, it should not be necessary to inform the entire school community about a single MRSA infection. When an MRSA infection occurs within the school population, the school nurse and school physician should determine, based on their medical judgment, whether some or all students, parents and staff should be notified. Consultation with the local public health authorities should be used to guide this decision.
Yes.
Unless directed by a physician, students with MRSA infections should not be excluded from attending school. Exclusion from school and sports activities should be reserved for those with wound drainage ("pus") that cannot be covered and contained with a clean, dry bandage and for those who cannot maintain good personal hygiene.
Asthma
D. Lulling, RN, BSN Asthma Educator
Asthma is the most common chronic illness identified in our schools in Allen County. Last year in Fort Wayne Community Schools, approximately 3,661(not sure how many students this effects now) students were identified with asthma.
To meet the growing educational needs of student, their families, and school staff, Parkview provides the services of an Asthma Educator to FWCS, East Allen County Schools, Northwest Allen County Schools and local physician offices.
Care Plans and Resources
"Open Airways for Children" for children in grades 3-5 is an accredited educational program sponsored by the American Lung Association. Classes take place during lunch and lunch recess, one day a week for six weeks.
Children learn in a group setting of up to ten children:
- signs and symptoms of an asthma attack
- what to do if they have symptoms
- relaxation techniques
- what things "trigger" their asthma episodes
- and what to do if they have an asthma attack.
"A is for Asthma" for children in grades K-2. One session class takes place during lunch and lunch recess or in the classroom.
- how to identify and care for an asthma attack
- how children without asthma can aid the affected child
More About Mrs. Lulling
Mrs. Lulling brings 29 years of pediatric nursing experience to the position. While living with asthma in her own life and providing guidance for her son to deal with his disease, Mrs. Lulling understands asthma. She knows how it affects daily life at school and home, interactions with peers, and the need for up-to-date medical information
As a Parkview community nurse, Asthma Educator, Mrs. Lulling meets with children at school and/or with their parents at home to:
- help them better understand their asthma and how the body reacts to the disease process
- meet the health needs and give guidance for life-long skills to help fulfill their educational and future goals
- pinpoint triggers in their home/school to be aware of how they influence their asthma
- provide education to understand the use and actions of each medication
- distinguish the early warning signs of an asthma episode
- identify the signs and symptoms of an acute asthma episode
- teach them the treatment needed when asthma becomes an emergency
Mrs. Lulling states that, "Children with asthma should be able to do anything in life they want and if they can’t, their asthma is not being controlled effectively."
Mrs. Lulling’s services to FWCS nurses, students and families are donated by Parkview Hospital in association with their Community Health Improvement Initiative.
