Sep 2, 2009 9:18 pm US/Central
School Nurses Understaffed, Overwhelmed
NEW YORK (CBS News) ―
On average, most school districts around the country fall well short of the federal recommendation of at least one registered nurse for every 750 students, CBS News reports.
The National Association of School Nurses says only 12 states and the District of Columbia meet the standard set by the Centers for Disease Control.
In Vermont there is a nurse for every 275 students. But many more states miss the mark: Oklahoma has just one nurse for every 3,100 students. In Utah, it's one nurse for nearly 4,900 students. About a quarter of all schools -- at least 23,000 -- have no nurses at all.
The situation is becoming more relevant as the threat of the H1N1 virus looms over schools from coast to coast.
"We have great concern for those children who are in schools without a nurse," said Amy Garcia, Executive Director of the National Association of School Nurses. "Particularly with the threat of a pandemic of H1N1 flu."
School nurse Renita Dotson works in Ardmore, Oka. She says it is not uncommon for her to visit six different schools is one day.
"We're not doctors but we do the best we can with what we have," she said.
She thinks school nurses will also be the first line of defense against the H1N1 virus this coming school year.
"If we did have the nurses in the schools, they could probably see the signs quicker," said Dotson.
School administrators say the equation comes down to money.
"If we had just any extra money, we'd put more nurses in," said Ardmore Schools Assistant Superintendent Geneva Matlack.
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