Welcome to Health Services!

Preventing Mosquito and Tick Diseases

The fall can be a time for outdoor activities and exercise. Simple precautions can limit exposure to insect caused viruses and diseases.

• Wear insect repellent with DEET when outside during peak mosquito hours (from dusk to dawn)
• Dump standing water twice weekly
• Repair screens
• Wear long sleeves and long pants when outdoors during peak mosquito hours
• Use mosquito netting on baby carriages and playpens outdoors
• Arrange neighborhood cleanups to get rid of mosquito breeding sites

Flu Information for Parents and Guardians

Flu season typically starts in late fall so we will follow the recommendations of the "Flu Guidance for Schools and Parents Fall 2010" for the 2011-2012 school year. The same recommendations are in place for this flu season they were for the 2010 flu season. Any time we have a concern about incidences of illness among our school students or staff, the Heatlh Services staff contacts the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) and our school physician, Dr. Sheryl Silva, to ensure that we are doing all of the necessary precautions. As parents you can help us be vigilant in the following areas:

• Have your child (6 months and older) vaccinated
• Know the symptoms of "ILI," temperature greater than 100 degrees F (CDC) or 100.4 degrees F (Mass DPH) and a cough or sore throat (refer to "Flu Symptom Checklist for Families and Schools Fall 2010" for specifics)
• All sick staff and students should stay home for at least 24 hours after they no longer have a fever without the use of medication
• Support the nurses if they suspect your child has influenza-like illness and use a fun looking surgical mask to minimize exposure while your student waits to go home
• Proper hand washing and cough ettiquette techniques will be reviewed in the schools so please continue those practices at home
• Remind students not to share eating utensils, cups, or water bottles
• "High touch" surfaces will be cleaned with normal cleaning agents in a routine schedule (once respiratory secretions containing the virus dry out, the virus is no longer infectious )

We are here to serve you and welcome your phone calls concerning questions about your children and their symptoms. Your school nurse's contact information is listed in the "Nurse Contact Info" document found in the "Forms" section.

Medication Policy and Procedures

The revised medication policy, "Regulations Governing the Administration of Prescription and Over the Counter Medications in the Beverly Public Schools," was approved by the school committee on May 5, 2010. All prescription medications given by the nurses require yearly signed consent forms from the prescribing physician and parent. Certain over the counter medications are described by the "Medication Protocols for the Beverly Public School Nurses." If you desire to have your child receive an over the counter medication that is not listed in the medication protocols, this medication will require a signed physician's consent along with signed medication parental consent. All of the policies, protocols, and consent forms are available for downloading from this webpage.

Mandated Heatlh Screenings, Body Mass Index Screenings

Mandated vision screenings occur between the grades K through 5 and for grades 7 and 9. Hearing screenings occur for grades K through 3 and again for grades 7 and 9. Postural screenings are held annually for grades 5 through 9. The following paragraph details the new BMI screenings that were instituted last year.

The Massachusetts Department of Public Health (DPH) mandated that BMI results be sent home to parents of children in grades 1,4,7,and 10. These letters are being mailed home in mid May and we want you to know that the BMI may not tell the whole story about your child's weight. Other things can affect your child's BMI. For example, BMI cannot tell the difference between muscle and fat. An athletic child with a lot of muscle may have a high BMI but not be overweight. As a community, we are all in this together and it will require incorporating many different modalities to help create a healthy environment for our children. Of the 1,171 students measured, 60% of students are within normal weight. However, when looking at children whose BMI is 85% or greater (combining overweight and obese categories) than their peers, Beverly's numbers reveal that over 33% of children in grades 1,4,7,and 10 are overweight and/or obese.

Student Accident Insurance Information 2011-2012

Information about obtaining Accident Medical coverage for your student is provided through the Lefbvre Insurance Company.

We are here to serve you and your children

I am the nurse leader for the Beverly Public Schools and I welcome your comments or concerns. I can be reached at 978-922-3229 ext. 1165 typically Tuesdays through Thursday. . We are all here to serve you.

Sincerely,

Cathy Riccio RN MSN MS