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Learning Objective 1: examine a collaborative program that partners colleges of nursing students and local school nurses to provide health screening for school-aged children.
Learning Objective 2: discuss the health implications of student health screenings in underserved communities and the role of nursing in promoting health of these school-aged children.
The KidCheck Plus Department, a program of Sight Savers America, is an initiative coordinating students from more than twenty different two and four year Colleges of Nursing across Alabama with school health nurses to provide comprehensive health screenings. From September 2011 to December 2012, KidCheck Plus screened 36,552 school-aged children in 32 schools systems across the state (KidCheck Plus, 2013).
The nursing students perform health screenings on children that evaluate the child from head to toe while remaining clothed. The school nurses and parents receive information on any abnormal findings. Parents receive information about the state’s public health insurance plan, health informational materials on elevated or low body mass index, dental abnormalities, and elevated blood pressure. Children with vision problems are referred to Sight Savers where eligible children receive free vision care. The school nurses work with the parents to ensure health needs are met.
Our faculty and students are able to see the impact of health promotion in the community. Our goal is to identify common health alterations and provide more health promotion information and interventions for any identified health issues. The presentation will discuss this program and what the common health issues are in our area of northeast Alabama. In addition, we will introduce measures that we can implement to improve the quality of health in these children.