Nurse

High School

Welcome to the Marcus Whitman Health Office

Michelle Rohring - High School Nurse		Ellen Lightfoote - Middle School Nurse
Margo Gilman - Gorham Nurse		Melissa Green - Valley Nurse

Ph ysicals
New York State mandates physicals BEFORE September 1st for all those entering UPK, and K. Physicals are required for all those students entering 2nd, 4th, 7th and 10th grades.

All new enterers, those receiving their triennial review for the Committee on Special Education, those joining a sport and those wanting a work permit must have a current physical on file in the health office.

Why Asthma Needs To Be Controlled In Schools
Information received from the Regional Community Asthma Network (RCAN)

Academic Performance - when nighttime sleep is disrupted by asthma symptoms, children generally have greater difficulty with school work, poor recall, lack of concentration and mood swings.
Student Attendance - frequent school absences, school health office visits, asthma episodes, emergency room visits and hospitalizations prevent children with asthma from learning.
Participation in Physical Activities - eighty to ninety percent of asthmatics will experience breathing difficulties when participating in strenuous exercise. Symptoms vary greatly from student to student, range from mild to severe and may even require emergency medical care.

Asthma cannot be cured. However, when CONTROLLED, the student will be able to:

Attend school
Sleep through the night without cough or wheeze
Be fully active and play any sport
Avoid urgent care visits to the school health office, health care provider, emergency room & hospital.

Responsibility

Responsibility means:

You are the person most responsible taking care of your asthma!
Following the asthma management plan prepared for you!
Always having your "rescue" medicine with you when away from home (at school, class trips, sleepovers)
Always make sure you have back-up medicine at home
To take your medicine when you're supposed to
Not to lose your Aerochamber
Tell your parents or another adult if you feel an asthma flare-up coming
Not to let your symptoms get too serious before calling a doctor
Learning what your asthma triggers are, and staying away from them
Exercise is good for you. Walk, jog, swim, ride a bike, play sports, get out there and do things. Have fun!
Remind people who smoke that cigarette smoke is bad for your asthma (and bad for them too), and to please not smoke anywhere near you.

Medications

All medication, both prescription and over the counter, must be accompanied with:

A Doctor's Order (which may be faxed to 554-6172 at Valley or 526-4435 at Gorham, Attention: Nurse)
A dated permission slip from you saying that the medicine may be administered to your child.

All medicine must be transported to school by you (not your child) in an original container. The only exception to this is the student who has an order from their physician that they may carry and self administer their medication. Pharmacists are usually happy to provide you with an extra container for prescription meds, one for school, one for home, if necessary. Cough drops, throat lozenges, aspirin, ointments should NOT be sent to school with your child for self administration. The temptation to "share" a medication or the possibility that the medication may be lost and found/used by another student is a real danger.