Check here often for the latest news related to FSHA activities and programs.

• Joint effort among FSHA, FASN, and FAHPERD

Protecting funding during the 2007 Special Session C was successful due to the grassroots efforts of the membership of FSHA, FASN, and FAHPERD.

Contacting legislators as a joint effort to protect funding for School Health, Full Service Schools, and Physical Education made a difference.

We again need to contact our legislators to continue to protect this funding during the 2008 Regular Session begining March 4th.  Go to FSHA's Legislative Page on our website for more information.

• Every Child Needs a School Nurse

School nurses today carry out a variety of roles in providing healthcare to our nation's children. They are often the only non-emergency healthcare professional that a child will see.

There are approximately 45,000 school nurses employed in the United States. Unfortunately, this means that there is only one school nurse for every 1,155 students. Worse, most of these school nurses are employed in only a few states. Almost half of all school nurses are responsible for three or more different schools. Funding cuts are making the situation worse, as school nurses are sacrificed to balance budgets.

While the number of school nurses is dropping, the need for a registered nurse in every school is rising. More and more children with special healthcare needs are now mainstreamed into the public schools. Between 10 and 20 percent of the nation's schoolchildren now have chronic physical, emotional or social problems. One in 20 students receives a prescription medication while at school. Yet, the duties of caring for these special-needs children and administering these medications often fall to school secretaries, teacher's aides, and even coaches.
That's dangerous. A recent University of Iowa study showed that medication errors with 39 percent more likely when someone other than a school nurse was involved.
School nurses don't merely help care for kids with physical problems. Other studies have found that students in schools with a school nurse perform better academically.

ARTICLE TAKEN FROM THE AMERICAN FEDERATION OF TEACHERS (AFT) WEBSITE.