CMS's Band-Aid solution -- literally

Kimberly Helms, a Northwest School of the Arts parent, posted an interesting comment on yesterday's story about budget cuts in Charlotte-Mecklenburg Schools. She noted that the school nurse had recently passed along a list of items she'd like parents to donate for the school health room: Kleenex, ginger ale, crackers, bottled water, cough drops, sanitary napkins, and hard candy for diabetic students.

"I nearly cried when I read it," Helms wrote. "It's a shame a school nurse can't even give a kid a tissue or a drink to comfort them."

School nurses have long turned to parents and other partners to stock the health rooms, says Maria Bonaiuto, school health director with the Mecklenburg Counth Health Department. Except for the sanitary napkins -- CMS recently stopped supplying those -- the wish list isn't related to budget cuts, she says.

In fact, Bonaiuto gives credit to CMS school health specialist Nancy Langenfeld and recently-retired Assistant Superintendent Barb Pellin for finding "a couple thousand dollars" in shrinking budgets to make sure the neediest schools have basic health supplies.

At some high-poverty schools that don't have PTAs raising money, "there were times when literally there was not a Band-Aid in the house," Bonaiuto said. Now there's a central supply of bandages, thermometers and other essentials. But yes, she says, nurses continue to ask for help supplying such things as soft drinks to settle stomachs and snacks to help a hungry student get through the day. (Bonaiuto isn't sure cough drops should be on the wish list -- if students can go to the nurse for a cough drop, "they'll come get it like candy.")

Bonaiuto notes that plenty of people are pitching in to make sure needy schools aren't shortchanged. Some strong PTAs team up to support a high-poverty school. Other schools have faith, business or community partners who help with extras for health rooms. And several parish nurses -- nurses hired by houses of worship to serve a community -- work with school nurses to make sure kids get what they need.

"Lots of people in this community reach out," Bonaiuto says. "It's nice."

I caught up with Helms (not related to me) by cell phone and filled her in on the various efforts to stock school health rooms. She was glad to hear there are no new cuts and glad to hear CMS is doing something to fill gaps. Her next stop? Going to the store for some ginger ale to send in with her daughter.
--ADH