Munson Healthcare Charlevoix Hospital – School Nurse Program

What is it?

The Munson Healthcare Charlevoix Hospital School Nurse Program is a partnership with area school systems. Registered nurses have been integrated into 10 area school systems where previously there were none, at no cost to the schools. The program works closely with the schools, parents, and community partners to make certain that the needs of all school-age children are met.

Who is it for?

3,800 students, age 4-18, in the Charlevoix and Antrim counties of Michigan, whose nine schools are located in rural communities where approximately 33 percent of the children live in poverty.

Why do they do it?

School systems across the country face serious challenges in terms of ongoing funding for nearly all areas of their operations. In particular, one casualty of these challenges has been the school nurse. The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recommend a ratio of one school nurse to every 750 well students; Michigan’s ratio is one nurse to 6,607 students – last in the nation. Michigan’s school nurses primarily work in larger urban schools near the cities of Detroit, Lansing, Grand Rapids and Ann Arbor. Northern Michigan had virtually no school nurses prior to this program.

Impact

Recent research has revealed a notable reduction in “chronically absent” students (those who have been absent approximately 10 percent of the school year or 18 days) in schools participating in the school nurse program. According to mischooldata.org, those schools with a Charlevoix Area Hospital School Nurse, even as little as one day per week, have seen a dramatic decrease in students classified as “chronically absent” since nurses were placed within their school systems. This consistent outcome seems to validate that the presence of a school nurse provides one of the most effective links for students and their caregivers to access community resources that will improve their health and well-being.

Contact: Kathleen Jacobsen, R.N.
Director, Community Health Education
Wellness Workshop Director
Telephone: 231-437-3481
Email: kjacobsen@mhc.net