School Health

CHA School Health Program

CHA School Health Program began a “nurse in every public school” in 1999. We were the first county in NC to move toward this model and it has become what school administrators want, teachers expect, students need, parents demand, and what the community is accustomed to.

Our School Health program has expanded through a separate contract with the NC Dept. of Public Safety, Juvenile Justice Division to provide nursing services at Stonewall Jackson Youth Development Center.

Benefits of the Program

The School Health Program is confident in the benefits of its services. Some of the benefits of the program are:

  • Fewer children leave school before the end of the day due to medical reasons when a nurse is on campus
  • Parents can worry less about their children who have chronic illness when a school nurse is there
  • School nurses work to ensure that students are happy, healthy, in class, on task, and ready to learn
  • Schools with full-time nurses can help students with chronic illnesses better manage their disease and decrease time out of school
  • The work school nurses do contributes to healthier students and a safer school environment
  • When students manage their chronic illness it can have a positive impact on their success at school

The school nurses are registered, public health nurses employed by the Cabarrus Health Alliance. Through a contractual agreement, a school nurse is assigned to each traditional, public elementary, middle, and high school in Cabarrus County for 7.5 hours per day following the teacher calendar. Nurses are also assigned to provide nursing oversight and consultation at three alternative school settings.

School Nursing

School nursing is a specialized practice of professional nursing that advances the well being, academic success, and lifelong achievement of students. The school nurses deliver services to students in the public schools located within the Cabarrus County and the Kannapolis City School Systems.

School nurses work with the schools to coordinate school health services for students ranging from pre-kindergarten ages up to 21 years old, their families, and the school community in both regular education and in special education settings.

School Nurse Responsibilities

  • Act as a liaison between the home, school, and the student’s medical provider
  • Administer medication on a daily and as needed basis
  • Advocate for students and families
  • Counsel students on health and emotional issues
  • Intervene with actual and potential health problems
  • Monitor health appraisals per North Carolina mandates such as kindergarten physical and immunizations
  • Promote health and safety in the school environment
  • Provide case management services
  • Provide health screenings (vision, hearing, etc.)
  • Provide healthcare to students and staff including first aid and chronic condition care
  • Provides a link to community resources
  • Refer health issues to healthcare providers for further care and treatment as needed
  • Teach students to manage their own healthcare concerns
  • Triage student health concerns
  • Write Emergency and Individualized Healthcare Plans