SCHOOL HEALTH
Nurses visit all county schools to provide health promotion, prevention, communicable disease control, and supervision of students' health status.

Screening programs (vision, hearing, and head lice) are conducted in each school under the supervision of the nurse. Volunteers are obtained by the school and trained by the nurse. Students who do not pass these screenings are referred to the nurse or the school's speech and language specialists for rechecks. Should a student fail this second screening, a referral is made to the family physician or other health professional.

Nurses also act as case managers helping families identify ways to overcome barriers that prevent them from obtaining health services. A registered dietician is available for students who need assistance in the area of diet instruction. Individual counseling, group sessions and group education are provided by the dietician, on a limited basis.

Due to state and legislative mandates regarding school immunizations, school nurses have been offering immunization clinics in the school setting to increase compliance.