Less than half of Kentucky high schools have a full-time nurse and even fewer have a part-time nurse on location. That’s according to a recent study conducted at Bellarmine University.
The number of students with disabilities, diabetes and required supervised medication, however, has increased significantly. That’s according to Paducah City Schools Health Coordinator and registered nurse, Belinda Weitlauf.
“Money is always the biggest the challenge, no matter what you do. If you can afford it, you’ve got a school nurse. Now my group of nurses I’ve worked with are all professional, they are RN’s, they’ve worked having people’s lives in their hands...the pay was not up to par, but we still went to work,” says Weitlauf.
According to the study, "When compared to schools without access to a full-time nurse, those with a daily nurse had a lower absence rate and higher graduation rates. After controlling for gender, ethnicity, and economic variables, ACT scores were also found to be higher among students with a full-time nurse and part-time nurse when compared to students with no nurse."
A group called ‘A School Nurse for Every School Committee’ plans to use the data to enact new legislative policy mandating the presence of a nurse in all public schools. In the meantime, Paducah City and McCracken County are among school districts partnering with local hospitals to create floating clinics. Weitlauf says school nurses provide a type of care some kids don’t have enough of at home: love.
“At times we are their mother, their sister, their father....A hug works like you wouldn't believe,” says Weitlauf.
