School nurses may act as child advocates in various ways: protecting students’ well-being, health, academic success, and even lifelong achievement. The roles that are most commonly ascribed to school nurses include care coordination, community or public health principles, leadership, and, occasionally, quality improvement (Best et al., 2018). This post’s selected topics of discussion will be care coordination, leadership, and community or public health. Best et al. (2018) state that care coordination includes a range of responsibilities, from care and chronic disease management to student care plans. Some of the tasks that emphasize the advocating role entail communication with school staff and parents on behalf of a child regarding any healthcare concerns and, in some cases, motivational counseling for struggling students (Best et al., 2018). In this case, collaborative communication regarding consultations, vaccine administration, and treatments may be the middle ground between family members. The nurses may be able to successfully raise concerns that children themselves either cannot or are afraid to formulate.
Another crucial aspect of advocacy is being well-informed, which applies to both the healthcare providers and the students. The leadership aspect of advocacy includes nurses’ continuous education on biological events’ preparedness, neglect, and adolescent abuse (Best et al., 2018). Lastly, the community health responsibility involves teaching a curriculum on sexual health and regular screenings for vision, asthma, and mental health issues (Best et al., 2018). In those instances, a school nurse may serve as a source of support for the students, helping address issues like anxiety, body image issues, depression, issues at home, at school, or with peers, and dating violence. Thus, school nurses’ tasks extend beyond direct care application or documentation – they may act as educators of wider groups and individual counselors. Such support may not be available at home for some students, making these tasks of paramount importance.
The school district in question is the Kenton County school district in northern Kentucky (Kenton, NKY). Together with two others from NKY, this county has become known for its struggle with high rates of opioid and fentanyl overdoses (Johnson, 2018). Moreover, NKY is the hotspot for drug trafficking, with drug-related activities significantly impacting the area (Johnson, 2018). There has been a disparity in addressing the issue of reducing opioid trafficking. Some programs aimed to appoint a regional coordinator for substance abuse, while some remained local, relying heavily on civic involvement (Johnson, 2018). Either way, the coordination of healthcare and advocacy groups and sufficient funding are vital for addressing this crisis effectively.
While it is not exceedingly likely that the school-aged demographic will be ubiquitously involved in opioid use, some of the children’s parents may be. Yet, at the moment, the lack of medically assisted treatment (MAT) represents a serious issue in NKY (Johnson, 2018). Local judges highlight the need for appropriate public education about the opioid crisis and its stigma, and I concur with this sentiment. However, currently, not enough data is present – the county officials do not even have accurate numbers on the extent of the crisis in our community. Rather, they feel like they do not have time to establish what works or does not, favoring immediate action.
In recent years, the situation is still riddled with uncertainty regarding effective policies. For instance, some additional sources of support were secured with the NKYASAP Harm Reduction Funds FY20 issued to the Kenton County Detention Center through the memorandum of agreement (2020). However, this funding only seeks to address the already-formed problem. I believe that one of the vital steps in reducing the opioid crisis in the future is preventative measures in the form of education. School nurses are often responsible for organizing educational events; perhaps, informing children in the Kenton school district about the symptoms of overdose may save the lives of some of their parents. Moreover, teaching children about the vast scope of opioids’ adverse effects may help mitigate the crisis in the future years.
References
Best, N. C., Oppewal, S., & Travers, D. (2018). Exploring school nurse interventions and health and education outcomes: An integrative review. The Journal of School Nursing, 34(1), 14–27. Web.
Johnson, Q. (2018). Case study: County-level responses to the opioid crisis in northern Kentucky. The Journal of Law, Medicine & Ethics, 46(2), 382–386. Web.
Memorandum of agreement between Mental Health America of Northern Kentucky and Southwest Ohio, fiscal agent, and Kenton County Detention Center. (2020). Northern Kentucky Agency for Substance Abuse Policy. Web.