Nurses' Offices Overburdened

As Caseloads Multiply and Budgets Shrink, Many Area Schools Stretched

By Michael Alison Chandler
Washington Post Staff Writer
Wednesday, June 25, 2008; Page B01

Caseloads for school nurses exceed federal guidelines in much of the Washington region at a time when campus clinics serve growing numbers of students with severe disabilities or chronic conditions such as diabetes and asthma.

As health-care needs multiply, school nurses are struggling to keep up and finding less time for preventive education on public-health issues such as childhood obesity or substance abuse. Many still dispense bandages and bags of ice, but they also counsel pregnant teens and manage complex medical plans for children with seizure disorders or feeding tubes. Schools often hire unlicensed aides for help.

"Children today come to school with conditions and treatments that would have kept them at home or in the hospital years ago," said Amy Garcia, executive director of the National Association of School Nurses. "We are concerned about the safety of these children and their ability to be ready to learn."

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