Flu Season

Briana and I are wrapping up our experience in school health nursing at Gila River. All the health screenings are completed except for the private school St. Peters in District 5, which we are doing this upcoming week. The results of the screenings were shocking. 85% of the students in high school are obese based on their BMI results. Around 53% of the middle school students in District 3 were catagorized as obese based on their BMIs as well.

Since the flu season is beginning our next project is sending home the parental consents for all the students to recieve a flu shot. Gila River provides students with the oppurtunity to recieve the flu shot at school. This makes it more convient than the parents having to take their children to the hospital or the clinics. This way more children are immunized. Cemile and Delissa will be taking over this project as we switch to public health on October 18th.

This week I also got a day with the middle school nurse, Gloria, in District 3. Gloria works at the middle school 4 days a week and next door at the high school on Fridays. She was a good teacher and role model for me. She supervised me while I adminstered the medication to all the kids and provided basic care with bandaids and basic assessments. I hope some Friday I will be able to go with her to the high school. She explained the high school has a total of 64 students. Most of these students were previous drop outs that returned to recieve their diplomas. The teachers work one on one with the students. Some of the young women have returned to school after having a child. The school accomidates these girls by allowing them to bring their babies to school with them. The even have a life skills coach that shows them how to interact with their babies and other parental skills.

This Friday was the kick off to Race for the Cure. There was a celebration with informational booths about breast cancer and a mobile mammogram unit. Pima Basket Dancers performed and crafts and photos were provided. Briana and I volunteered with Renee, our supervisor, at this celebration. Tomorrow all four of us will be waking up at 4:00am to volunteer at the Gila River booth at the actually race in downtown Phoenix.