Health services

Student Health and Nursing Services

School Nurse: Ben Swartsel, RN

We value the health and fitness of all our students and staff. Our school health program aims to assure students are healthy, safe and ready to learn, while connecting students and their families to health resources in the community.

How to Contact Your School Nurse

Call: 509-422-7704

Email: ben.swartsel@psischiefs.org

School Nurse Ben Swartsel RN

Keep Your School Nurse Informed

Student health information forms are required to be completed by parents each year. In addition, keep your school nurse updated on your student’s health status, such as surgeries, medications, illnesses/diseases, new diagnoses or other conditions that may affect your student’s school performance. Please print and fill out the form below. You may mail it or bring it to the school office once it has been completed.

Student Health Conditions

Students with potentially life-threatening health conditions require an Emergency Care Plan (ECP) to be in place BEFORE they may attend school. If your student has any of the following conditions, please call the school office to arrange a time to speak to the school nurse.

Asthma
Seizures
Anaphylaxis(allergy requiring epi-pen)
Diabetes
Heart Condition

Medications at School

A Medication Authorization form completed and signed by your health care provider and parent/guardian that tells us how the medication is to be given. Your doctor’s office may have the form or you can download & print one here:

- BIE Medication Authorization.pdf
- ECP Anaphylaxis Master.pdf

ECP ASTHMA MASTER.pdf

The medication must be clearly marked:

in its original container
with the student’s name
the dose
the time the medication should be given

The medication must be brought to school by the parent or other responsible adult.

Immunizations

Washington state requires immunizations for school attendance. Please visit DOH’s website for the requirements.
Parents are asked to fill out a Certificate of Immunization Status when they register their child for school. When your student receives additional immunizations, please ask your doctor’s office to fax a copy of the record to school and let your school nurse know.
Exemptions—School registration and attendance are contingent upon either adequate immunization or a parent signed exemption. If you are choosing to exempt your student from the required immunization schedule, please request your health care provider sign, then bring this form to the school office:

Take Steps to Avoid Spreading COVID-19 or Another Respiratory Virus to Others

If you have respiratory virus symptoms that are not better explained by another cause (such as allergies) or test positive for COVID-19 or another respiratory virus, follow CDC guidance for staying home and away from others; this includes people you live with who are not sick.

You can go back to your normal activities when both of the following have been true for at least 24 hours:

Your symptoms are getting better overall, and
You have not had a fever (and are not using fever-reducing medication).

You can tell your symptoms are improving when you start to feel better and you feel well enough to fully participate in your activities, such as learning in a classroom or completing tasks at work. A respiratory virus infection can have many types of symptoms, some of which can last beyond when someone is contagious (able to spread the virus), such as a lingering cough. Having a single symptom or a combination of symptoms is not as important as the overall sense of feeling better and the ability to resume activities.

When you go back to your normal activities, wear a mask and take added precautions over the next 5 days, such as taking steps to improve air flow and filtration, practicing good hand hygiene, cleaning regularly, physical distancing, and testing when you will be around other people indoors. You may still be contagious with a respiratory virus after returning to your normal activities, so it is important to take additional precautions.

People with COVID-19 are often contagious for 5-10 days after their illness begins.
People with flu may be contagious for up to 5-7 days after their illness begins.
People with RSV are usually contagious for 3-8 days after their illness begins.

Some people, such as those with a weakened immune system, can be contagious with a respiratory virus for longer periods of time.

If there is an outbreak in a setting such as a workplace or congregate housing, it may be necessary to isolate for a specific period of time longer than you would otherwise to help stop the spread of COVID-19 or another respiratory virus. If you have questions about responding to an outbreak, reach out to your local health jurisdiction for more information.

The Department of health guidelines are essentially the same as the CDC guidelines, but I have included their link as well. Please don't hesitate to come see me with questions or concerns.

https://www.cdc.gov/respiratory-viruses/prevention/precautions-when-sick.html

https://doh.wa.gov/emergencies/covid-19/prevent-spreading-respiratory-viruses#takesteps

Vision and Hearing Screening

Student in grades K, 1, 2, 3, 5, and 7 are screened yearly

A referral form is sent to parents for students who do not pass. the referral indicates the screen results with recommendations for follow up.
Students may be referred to their school nurse for individual screening by a parent or teacher
The screening done at school is just that - screens - they are NOT exams. Students should be examined by an eye professional at least every two years during school age regardless of the school vision screen results.
parents needing assistance for professional eye examination may contact the school nurse

Communicable Disease

When an outbreak of a communicable disease (such as chickenpox, measles, etc.) occurs among staff or students, the school nurse consults with Colville Tribal Health and Human Services, who will take the lead on containment and make the plan on how the school will manage the outbreak. If your student has not been fully immunized, they may be excluded from school for up to 21 days.

Some guidelines on when to keep your student home:

Fever—a temperature at or above 100 degrees Fahrenheit.
Vomiting
Diarrhea—watery or loose stools.
Coughing—or having any sort of breathing trouble. Coughing spreads infection.
Rash—check with your doctor to determine whether the rash is contagious before sending your child to school.
Lethargic—a child who is difficult to wake, needs to see a doctor.

24 Hour Rule

Fever: Keep your child home until their FEVER has been gone WITHOUT medicine for 24 hours.
Vomiting or Diarrhea: Keep your child home for 24 hours after the LAST time they have vomited or had diarrhea and are eating a normal diet.
Antibiotics: Keep your child home at least 24 hours after the FIRST dose of antibiotic.