Jeremy Rubenstein On New CDC Resources on School Health Services and the Management of Chronic Health Conditions

By Jeremy Rubenstein with Health Services Materials from Journal of School Nursing and the CDC’s National Asthma Control Program

In efforts to help students complete each day at school, healthy, safe and ready to learn, we have added new information on the Box Out Bullying Client Section on acute and emergency care, care coordination, family engagement, and chronic disease management in schools. New resources are now available that give evidence-based strategies schools can use to manage chronic health conditions and that focus on the relationship between chronic health conditions and academic achievement.

“Addressing the Needs of Students with Chronic Health Conditions” is a research brief that provides several strategies and activities schools and school districts can use to focus on the needs of students with chronic health conditions. It is based on a CDC systematic literature review on the role of school health services as well as guidelines and position statements from national organizations with a focus on school health.

 “Chronic Health Conditions and Academic Achievement” is a research brief that describes the relationship between students’ chronic health conditions and their academic achievement, based on a review of the scientific literature. It reports current knowledge about the associations between five chronic health conditions (seizure disorders/epilepsy, asthma, diabetes, poor oral health, and food allergies) and academic performance in areas such as cognitive skills, attendance, grades, and test scores.

 Two new fact sheets have also been added to our site. “Managing Chronic Conditions in Schools: The Role of the School Nurse” explains the importance of the school nurse and gives three main roles school nurses often play in managing chronic health conditions. The “Health Insurance for Children: How Schools Can Help” fact sheet provides schools with guidance on how to improve educational outcomes for students by connecting them to health insurance.

Additionally, for your consideration, there is a systematic review of literature in the Journal of School Nursing on how direct access to school nursing and other health services improves the health and academic outcomes of students with chronic health conditions. CDC’s National Asthma Control Program has also released a compilation of resources, “Strategies for Addressing Asthma in Schools”, to assist with school personnel planning or maintaining an asthma management program.