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Fishers front line Nurses monitor health of school community Grace Mossing mossigra000@hsestudents.org
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two or more symptoms related to COVID-19, the y screening students who may have nurses will most likely ask them to go home and COVID-19, the clinic keeps the school recommend that they get tested for the disease. healthy and safe through the pandemic. The school has asked teachers to only send School nurses such as Donna Lund and Amy students to the clinic when there is a great need Hanna accommodate students as best they can by for them to be seen. Unlike previous years, there changing protocols due to the pandemic as well is no resting allowed in the clinic unless absolutely as staying safe themselves. They wear protective necessary. The clinic also restricts admittance for gear such as face shields and gowns as needed and issues such as allergies, brushing teeth, cuts and social distance when possible. ruined clothes. “We truly are on the front line in dealing with "I understand that necessary safety precautions COVID-19,” Hanna said. “We are tasked with need to be taken in order to prevent COVID-19 making the decision whether a student needs to from spreading in terms of preventing students go home and get tested or if their symptoms are from lying down," senior Maya Fotedar said. unrelated to COVID. It can be difficult to make "On the other hand, I believe that there should that decision because there are so many gray areas still be facilities open where students can receive with COVID.” ibuprofen or other medications." The clinic has begun to screen students as With the cold and flu season quickly they enter the clinic, which is different from how approaching in the next couple of months, many students were able to walk in freely before the people are asking about how COVID-19 protocols pandemic. and student health will be maintained. “We are trying to limit the amount of kids who “We’ll see an increase of students with cold and come in and stay in the clinic,” Lund said. “We flu season,” Hanna said. “Because of COVID, are trying to keep kids who need to come into the parents have been doing a great job of keeping clinic at a very low risk and away from anybody kids home that are sick. I imagine that will that could possibly be sick [with COVID-19].” continue throughout the cold and flu season.” As an extra precaution, the nurses have Both Lund and Hanna are very passionate about implemented a follow-up call procedure. Parents working in a high school environment and found who call their child in sick with symptoms shared nursing in a school environment later in their by COVID-19 are followed up with, in order to professional careers. They are happy to be back in establish more accurate contact tracing. school and see the students that they care for each “We go through scenarios with them like have day. they been in contact with anyone, or do they have seasonal allergies,” Lund said. “We try to figure out if there’s something else that could possibly be wrong with the kid, but there is a possibility that they were exposed to someone with COVID.” If any student comes into the clinic with a fever, they are automatically Nurse Donna Lund washes her hands in the back room of the clinic before she goes to see sent home. If a a patient. Photo by Grace Mossing. student presents
