Health Office Notes

This & That

"Ins & Outs" of the Health Office

Medication Procedure

SCA will adhere to the following procedures recommended by the Missouri State Health Department when dispensing medication: • All prescription medication must be in the original container and labeled with the child’s name, physician’s name, and written instructions. • All medication must be checked in at the Health Office by a parent/guardian, and the proper paperwork filled out.

Students may NOT be in possession of prescription OR overthe-counter medication while on school grounds without being first approved through the Health Office.

Backpack Safety

Many things can lead to back pain — like playing sports or exercising a lot, poor posture while sitting, and long periods of inactivity. But some kids have backaches because they’re lugging around their entire locker’s worth of books, school supplies, and personal items all day long. Doctors and physical therapists recommend that kids carry no more than 10-15% of their body weight in their packs. But many carry a lot more than that. When a heavy backpack is incorrectly placed on the shoulders, the weight’s force can pull a child backward. To compensate, the child might bend forward at the hips or arch the back. This can make the spine compress unnaturally, leading to shoulder, neck, and back pain. Kids who wear their backpacks over just one shoulder — as many do, because they think it looks better or just feels easier — may end up leaning to one side to offset the extra weight. They might develop lower and upper back pain and strain their shoulders and neck. Improper backpack use can also lead to bad posture. Girls and younger kids may be especially at risk for backpack-related injuries because they’re smaller and may carry loads that are heavier in proportion to their body weight. Also, backpacks with tight, narrow straps that dig into the shoulders can interfere with circulation and nerves. These types of straps can lead to tingling, numbness, and weakness in the arms and hands. Bulky or heavy backpacks don’t just cause back injuries. There are many other safety issues to consider and guidelines to help prevent back and neck problems all together. Please go to http://kidshealth.org/en/parents/backpack.html to find out more.

COVID-19 Procedure

With the rules constantly changing, we encourage you to reach out to us with any questions, concerns, or any symptoms your student is having BEFORE you COVID test. Students need to stay home for any high risk symptoms: new cough, difficulty breathing, loss of taste/smell, OR two or more moderate risk symptoms: fever of 100.4 or higher, congestion/runny nose, nausea/vomiting/diarrhea, sore throat, headache, muscle or body aches. With symptoms, students will need to do one of three things: • Quarantine for 10 days from onset of symptoms, returning day 11 as long as symptoms are improving and they have been fever free for 24 hours without medication. • Your student has a negative PCR or antigen test taken on day 5 or later, and if negative they may return day 8. • Your student sees a provider and returns with a note stating they are cleared to return to school (NO COVID test needed). Please see email with guidelines sent out by Mr. Hahn at the beginning of school for full policy and details. We are here to help! Please reach out to us! Please email all three of us as we do not all work every day. Now is the time to get your flu shot. The flu vaccine is the best way to prevent the flu. MYTH - You can get the flu from the flu vaccine. Another great way to prevent the flu is to teach your child how to wash their hands and remind them to do this often, as well as keeping their hands off their face. We hope you’ve had an amazing and refreshing summer!

Your SCA Health Clinic Staff

Noelle Rhyne, RN, BSN nrhyne@sca-kc.org Erin Rider, RN, BSN, MSN erider@sca-kc.org Tiffany Summitt, MEd tsummitt@sca-kc.org