VNA Gets $10K Grant for Nursing Program to Help Children

VNA's school-based nurse practitioner health service provides care to students in kindergarten through 12th grade whom are indigent or underinsured in 13 schools throughout five districts, including Asbury Park, Keansburg, Red Bank, Carteret, and Woodbridge.

In collaboration with a physician, the licensed VNA nurse practitioner diagnoses and treats students in the school setting at no cost to the student or family. The nurse practitioner works with school nurses, school administration and staff to educate students on healthy lifestyle choices including proper nutrition, physical fitness and the avoidance of drugs and alcohol.

During the last school year, the VNAHG school-based nurse practitioner health service provided 5,078 health care visits that prevented the loss of over 20,000 school hours for 2,076 students who would have otherwise been absent.

The $10,000 grant from TD Charitable Foundation will assist the VNAHG nurse practitioner program to ensure every student receives up to date immunization, detect health problems early, decrease acute and prolonged illness, and reduce absenteeism due to illness.