Day 2 of NASN's Virtual Hill Day!

Please participate by emailing your Congressman or Senator about the NURSE Act (HR 5251 - House /S2532- Senate ). 

The NURSE Act  which would recognize the critical role of school nurses in providing students access to quality health care so that they are safe, healthy, and ready to learn by giving grants to Title I schools for school nurses where there is not already a school nurse. Click here to find more about NASN's Virtual Hill Day.  This will greatly benefit Maine!!

Please copy and paste the SAMPLE letter below into an email to:

Angus King           https://www.king.senate.gov/contact

Susan Collings     https://www.collins.senate.gov/contact

Bruce Poliquin      https://poliquin.house.gov/contact

Chellie Pingree has already signed on!!!

SAMPLE LETTER 

Dear Congressman or Senator,

I am writing to urge you to Co-Sponsor the Nurses for Under-Resourced Schools Everywhere (NURSE) Act, HR 5251/S 2532 (please choose the House or Senate bill number depending who you are emailing). As a school nurse, I know firsthand how important it is for children to have a registered nurse at school to take care of their health care needs.

The NURSE Act would give grants to increase the number of school nurses in Title I schools where there does not already exist a school nurse.

National data indicates 39 percent of public schools have a school nurse all day, every day, while another 35 percent of schools have a school nurse who works part-time in one or more schools. This leaves another 25 percent of schools that do not have a school nurse at all. Wide ratio disparities exist from state to state, within states and school districts, and between urban and rural.

Children today face increased social and emotional issues; according to the CDC, 20 percent of children and adolescents experience some sort of mental disorder. School nurses spend one-third of their time providing mental health issues and are critical members of the mental health team.

For many of our nation's children, the school nurse is the sole provider of access to health care. This makes the role of school nurses even more critical. School nurses operate in what some have termed the "Hidden Health Care System." School nurses coordinate with families, schools, and providers to connect children to medical homes, which can help improve health outcomes and reduce costs.

The American Nurses Association has reported that when there is no registered nurse on the school premises, the responsibility to administer the necessary medications and treatments, and to appropriately monitor children's health issues, fall on the shoulders of administrators, educators, and staff, who are ill‐prepared to perform these tasks.

Please ensure that our children are safe, healthy and ready to learn by Co-Sponsoring the NURSE Act.

Sincerely,

(Your Name)