McCarthy Introducing Legislation to Put More Nurses in Schools

In observation of National Nurses Week, Rep. Carolyn McCarthy (D-NY4) introduced legislation Tuesday to increase the number of nurses in public schools across the U.S.

McCarthy, who spent 30+ years as a nurse before becoming a congresswoman, said as a mom and a nurse she knows that a healthy student is a successful student.

"Whether it’s helping to treat the common cold, helping to stop the spread of serious diseases or identifying the early warning signs of depression or abuse, school nurses are the first line of defense in keeping our schools safe," she said.

McCarthy called her legislation "a common-sense investment" for the future and said Congress would be "wise to pass it.”

The Student to School Nurse Ratio Improvement Act of 2013 would create federal grants to help states lower the ratio of students to school nurses and would require the U.S. Education Department to report the effectiveness of the program, particularly the relationship between access to student health services and academic success, according to the congresswoman.

Citing the U.S. Departments of Education and Health and Human Services respectively, McCarthy noted there are almost 100,000 public elementary and secondary schools and about 74,000 school nurses across the country.

According to the National Association of School Nurses (NASN), more than half of U.S. public schools don’t have a school nurse on site all day, every day and up to a quarter don’t have a nurse in the building at all.

Within Garden City public schools, there is a nurse in every building. "The high school has two nurses, middle school 1.7, elementaries 1.5. All others have one nurse," according to Wyremski, Eileen, a registered nurse at the high school.

Randi Weingarten, president of the American Federation of Teachers, which represents more than 100,000 nurses and healthcare workers across the nation, including more than 14,000 school nurses, said school nurses keep students "healthy, in school and ready to learn" but noted that mission "can falter when there are not enough nurses, and they become targets in times of tight budgets."

NASN president Linda Davis-Alldritt added, "Simply put, school nurses ensure that our children stay healthy, safe and ready to learn.”

Do you think more nurses are needed in Garden City public schools? Share your thoughts in the comments section below.