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Packard Children's Hospital, Foundation Provide Financial Support for School Nurses in San JoseJoint grant of $2.65 million to support San Jose Unified School District Nov. 5, 2007 Contact: Eileen Walsh, vice president and director of communications, (650) 736-2881; eileen.walsh@lpfch.org PALO ALTO – Lucile Packard Children's Hospital and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health today announced a joint grant of $2.65 million over five years to the San Jose Unified School District. This 'demonstration project' will restore full-time school nursing programs in four schools located in neighborhoods where many children lack access to regular health care services. San Jose Unified currently has a ratio of only one nurse to 2,055 students, only about one-third the federally recommended level of 1 to 750, according to Don Iglesias, superintendent of the San Jose Unified School District. Yet school nurses increasingly are called upon to provide highly complex care, including assisting in chronic disease management. "Children who come to school with poorly managed asthma or diabetes, dental pain or behavioral issues are not able to perform at their best level academically," Iglesias said. "Our nurses are overwhelmed. We appreciate the willingness of Packard Children's and the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health to help us address this immediate issue and develop a model for longer term solutions." The project is designed to help children succeed in school by improving their access to primary care and prevention services, and by establishing a "medical home" for students who do not have a regular health care provider. In addition to four school nurses, the grant also includes funding for a nurse practitioner based at School Health Clinics of Santa Clara County. The nurse practitioner will consult with the school nurses; assist in creating care plans for children with chronic problems; offer primary care; and refer patients to other healthcare professionals. Research has shown that children who have a medical home where they receive ongoing health services fare better overall, but the cost of developing a health center at every school can initially seem prohibitive, said David Alexander, MD, president and CEO of the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health. "With this project, we hope to demonstrate that a network of school nurses who are formally linked to a clinic serving multiple schools is a cost-effective model for getting children the care they need to succeed in school," Alexander said. Almost 5,000 students in the San Jose Unified District --18 percent -- are diagnosed with chronic health problems. Nurses typically are responsible for three or four schools, and the increasing caseloads of chronic medical problems have reduced time for routine health screenings and health education. Children with chronic conditions are absent more frequently, which not only creates additional learning challenges for the student but also reduces state reimbursement to schools, which is based on average daily attendance. The project, which the hospital and the foundation will fund equally, will maintain the nurses for five years in four schools: Hoover and Burnett Academy middle schools, and Empire Gardens and Anne Darling elementary schools. All currently are covered by part-time nurses. The schools were chosen because they have a high percentage of students living in poverty; substantial enrollments of children who do not have access to regular health care; and proximity to the School Health Clinics at San Jose High Academy and Washington Elementary School. The clinics can provide services from physicians, physician assistants, nurses, a dietitian, and a health educator. Researchers from the Stanford University School of Medicine will evaluate the project, analyzing measures such as access to ongoing health services, management of chronic problems and school attendance. "As the children's hospital for Santa Clara County, we currently see many children from San Jose," said Christopher Dawes, president and CEO at Packard Children's. "Our goal is to help these children be well and stay well. By improving access to primary care and prevention, we're taking steps to help kids stay in school and lessen the chance they'll need our services in the future. School nurses in the San Jose Unified School District are on the front line of this care, and we're proud to support them."
About Lucile Packard Children's Hospital About the Lucile Packard Foundation for Children's Health About the San José Unified School District About School Health Clinics of Santa Clara County
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