The Maui News

Nurses working in public schools handled nearly 8,000 health room visits by students from August to March of the current school year, according to the University of Hawaii as it marks National School Nurse Day today.

For nearly a decade, nurses have been placed in public schools to provide no-cost school-based health services to students as part of “Hawaii Keiki: Healthy and Ready to Learn,” a partnership between the UH-Manoa Nancy Atmospera-Walch School of Nursing and the state Department of Education.

It originally launched in 2014 with four school nurses; it now serves 258 schools statewide with 17 nurse practitioners (advanced practice registered nurses), two mental health nurse practitioners and 42 registered nurses, according to a UH news release Tuesday. The program’s goal is to increase its health care services to Hawaii students, especially in underserved, rural and low-income communities.

“For students whose parents and guardians consent to care, we can provide clinic visits, connect students to a Hawai’i Keiki nurse practitioner for a virtual appointment, and we do emergency action plans if they come in with a chronic condition already existing or something that was identified during their screening,” said Adele Mier, a registered nurse with the program who is based at Nanakuli Elementary School on Oahu. “And beyond the students, we support families and our communities through health education and outreach.”

Under the Hawaii Keiki program from August to March, there were:

• 7,998 health room visits to a program nurse by DOE students. Of the students, 69 percent returned to class instead of being sent home after seeing a nurse.

• 151 events of 13,408 dental and vision screenings in collaboration with community partners.

• 429 telehealth appointments for DOE students through Hawaii Keiki Virtual Keiki Care.

During the COVID-19 pandemic, the role of the school nurse rapidly evolved to include the use of telehealth technology to address physical as well as mental health needs, as the challenges of remote learning, increased isolation and family stress increased mental health concerns for youth.

“As school nurses, we talk a lot with students to make sure they are okay emotionally and can provide mental health support and make referrals if needed,” Mier said. “It is nice to know that the program can now connect these students with a Hawai’i Keiki mental health nurse practitioner virtually allowing the child to stay in school but also get the necessary assessments and support they need.”