School Nurse

 The School Nurse oversees the health needs of the students attending Lewis Cass Intermediate School District programs. This includes the maintenance of health and immunization records, weight charts, and coordination of a yearly vision and hearing screening by the Health Department, head checks for lice, scoliosis screening and dental screening.

 It is helpful to the school staff if students have a physical every year, or at a minimum, every three years to keep records up to date. This helps the school to be aware of any physical problems that effect the student. The School Nurse assists with staff training and education for the various medical conditions of some students. Training concerns issues such as: CPR for adults and children; medications; seizures; suctioning; tracheotomy care; etc.

There's something in the air alright - - pollen. And it's making people sneeze, sniffle and rub their eyes. These tiny grains of pollen make many people miserable. Hitching a ride on air currents, pollen particles never reach their targets. Instead they find their way into noses and throats, triggering an allergic reaction that plagues millions of people. This seasonal allergy goes by many names. Doctors often call it allergic rhinitis. You're probably more familiar with the term hay fever. But this friendly label could easily mislead you. Hay itself has little to do with hay fever. And rarely do the symptoms include fever. The more typical signs are: sneezing, a stuffy or runny nose, coughing, and itchy, watery eyes. Hay fever can strike at different times, depending on what you're allergic to. Trees pollinate earliest, generally between February and May, depending on your location. Grasses follow, usually releasing their pollen from May until mid-July.

The hay-fever season doesn't end until late-blooming weeds finish pollinating, usually sometime in the fall. Normally, our immune system protects us from potentially dangerous invaders, such as bacteria and viruses. But with hay fever, the immune system treats pollen as a threat. Eventually the body may release a flood of chemicals, including histamine, which irritates sensitive tissues. This leads to the allergic symptoms of hay fever. The good news: "Hay fever need not turn your life upside down," say expert allergists. To minimize your exposure to pollen, follow these tips:

1. Stay indoors and close windows during the early morning. That's when plants release most of their pollen.
2. Retreat indoors on dry, windy days when pollen whips around in the air.
3. When driving, keep your windows closed and set your air conditioner on "recirculate" so pollen laden air won't be sucked into the car.
4. Don't use window or attic fans. They can draw pollen inside.
5. Have someone else tend to your yard work.
6. Dry laundry indoors to keep it from catching pollen.

Because pollen travels almost everywhere, it's nearly impossible to avoid it completely. That's why many people head for a drugstore to buy over-the-counter anti-histamines. These drugs reduce allergy symptoms by countering the effects of histamine. Unfortunately, non-prescription anti-histamines can also trigger drowsiness and other side effects. Your doctor may prescribe a newer kind of anti-histamine that won't make you groggy. Or your doctor might suggest other effective hay fever remedies, such as a steroid nasal spray of the drug cromolyn sodium. Should there measure fail, your doctor may recommend allergy shots. (taken from Healthy Tomorrow, Summer 1997)

To contact the School Nurse, click Jennifer Hoseth