SNC Newsletter November 2026 No 27

Name: Renee Carroll

School District: Nine Mile Falls School District

How long I have been a school nurse: 6 years

What I love about school nursing: Karen and I work with great students, teachers, coaches, and parents at 9 Mile! I enjoy the daily variety in school nursing! While I have plenty planned every day, I always encounter something new or unexpected. It's great! I keep learning and growing. I am most passionate about advocating for students (especially those with diabetes) and empowering school staff and coaches.

Fun fact about me: I am so lucky that I get to work in the same district as my kids! I don't have free time for hobbies right now (ha!), but when I am not busy driving, cleaning or nagging, I enjoy spending time with my family and farm pets.

Join to hear about important topics in school environmental health and safety. Expert presenters from multiple areas will inform participants about the latest issues, updates, and trends. We invite anyone supporting school environmental health work, including school facilities staff, administrators, risk managers, nurses, and local health school partners.

Please register for each day separately.

Register here for day one: Tuesday, November 3, 8:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m.

Join UL Research Institutes’ Chemical Insights on November 11 at 1:00 PM ET for a webinar examining the health impacts of wildfire smoke, extreme heat, and air pollution, and how research can help inform efforts to protect community health. Register for the webinar.

Wednesday, November 18, 2026

3:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., PST

Join via Zoom here

This interactive training is designed for school nurses and unlicensed school personnel with experience in diabetes care. Participants will gain current, evidence-based knowledge and practical skills to support students with diabetes, including routine care, emergency response, and use of diabetes technology. Guest speakers from regional partners will share insights on available resources, devices, and innovations. Parent Designated Adults will also have the opportunity to complete required skills check offs during the training. Lunch is included. Registration coming soon!

This course equips participants with the knowledge and skills to serve as a Parent Designated Adult (PDA) in the school setting, supporting students with diabetes. The training is interactive and scenario-based, helping participants recognize and address barriers that students with diabetes may face in accessing their education. This is an online course accessed through Canvas with an in-person skills check. Register anytime for PDA training via this pdEnroller link.

Register

NEWESD 101 offers many training opportunities for school staff, faculty, and nurses. Visit pdEnroller to see the latest trainings offered.

Respiratory viruses such as flu, COVID-19, and RSV can cause serious illness, especially for young children, older adults, pregnant people, and people with certain health conditions. Vaccination and preventive treatments can help protect you and your family during respiratory virus season.

Who should get a flu vaccine?

• Everyone 6 months and older should get a flu vaccine every year. Getting vaccinated by the end of October gives your body time to build protection before flu spreads widely.
• New flu vaccine option for adults 65 and older: A new mRNA flu vaccine option, mFlusiva, is available this year for adults 65 and older. The preferred flu vaccines for this age group include: Fluzone High-Dose, Fluad adjuvanted, Flublok recombinant, and mFlusiva mRNA.

Thanksgiving marks the end of the fall season and the beginning of winter. This blog links the holiday, practicing gratitude, and creating memories of positive childhood experiences (PCEs) using the Four Building Blocks of HOPE as a guide. This long weekend is always the busiest travel time of the year, as people gather from far and wide to be together.

To make it easier to track vaccination trends, DOH has a Respiratory Immunization Dashboard that combines immunization data on flu, COVID-19, and RSV for both adults and children all in one place. The dashboard shows vaccine coverage by county and demographic, as well as total doses given statewide.

Under the Lights, a feature film written and directed by filmmaker Miles Levin, who lives with epilepsy, follows a teenager with epilepsy navigating his desire to attend prom and experience the same milestones as his peers. As Epilepsy Awareness Month begins in November, learn more about the film and its community screenings.

Frost, snow and ice on playgrounds or equipment increase the risk of serious injury. Falls are the most common source of playground injury to children and may result in serious injury or death, according to the U.S. Consumer Product Safety Commission’s (CPSC) Public Playground Safety Handbook, (July 2025). Playground surface materials that become frozen, icy or snow covered do not provide adequate protection from falls, especially from an elevated surface. Schools should not allow use of playground equipment during freezing weather, or when snow or ice is on the ground below playground equipment. Important tips.

The holidays are a wonderful time for family, friends and celebrations. But winter can take a toll on your physical and mental health, even during the festivities. So what can you do to stay healthy this winter? Read more here.

Bats and rabies have been a concern this year in our state. Use this 2-page handout: Pest Press Handout: Bats in Schools (PDF) to help your school community understand best practices for preventing and dealing with bats in schools. Washington state is home to many bats that are healthy and vital to our ecosystem. Bats hibernate during the winter, usually from October through March, or migrate to regions where insects are available. Bat pups are raised in nursery colonies and are unable to fly on their own until late summer. In Washington state, bats are the only known source (reservoir) of rabies. Most bats do not have rabies, but all contact with bats should be avoided.

For nurses, work and personal stress can push them to use alcohol or drugs to cope. Unfortunately, stigma and other barriers often stop nurses from seeking the help they need. There is help available.

The 988 Lifeline provides support to anyone having thoughts of suicide, mental health crises, substance use concerns, worries about a friend or loved one, and any other kind of emotional support. People who contact the 988 Lifeline will get free, confidential support from trained crisis counselors. Help-seekers can call or text 988 or chat with a counselor online.

Free print materials about the 988 Lifeline are available through the Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA). You can share these with patients and as part of a community campaign to increase awareness of 988 services.

The links below provide tools and resources that your EMS agency can use to learn more about the 988 Lifeline and spread awareness of this important resource in your community:

• SAMHSA Partner Toolkit
• What EMS and First Responders Need to Know about 988
• What happens when you call?
• 988 Fact Sheet
• Mental Health Crisis Call Diversion Initiative
• Washington 988 Promotional Toolkit

For more information or if you have questions, please contact 988ProgramInfo@doh.wa.gov.

Working in healthcare is rewarding, but also stressful. Resources can be difficult to locate when needed. So, we've put together a helpful list.

House Bill 2731 requires public schools to report all diagnosed concussions of students participating in athletics or other school activities. The link for the 2026-27 student head concussion reporting is live: Student Head Injury Information Reporting | Washington State Department of Health. For more information, please see: Student Head Injury Information Reporting | Washington State Department of Health

Students may use drugs and alcohol to cope with mental health struggles such as anxiety, depression, and stress. To address the connection between youth substance use and mental health, the CDC developed the Free Mind campaign. Informed by youth, the campaign offers resources for students (ages 12-17), parents, caregivers, and educators to understand the link between substance use and mental health, risk factors that contribute to drug use, and strategies to prevent youth drug use and overdose.

Measles cases and outbreaks continue to be a concern in the country and in the state. The Washington State Department of Health would like to provide you with some recent measles resources to aid in measles planning and preparedness for schools.

CDC Resources

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) recently posted measles resources to support school staff and administrators across the country, including handouts and staff presentations. Find direct links below:

• Preparing and Responding to Measles Checklist for Schools
• Measles 101 Preparation for Schools Slide Deck
• School Health Alert Network (HAN) Template
• Sample Measles Messages for Schools

Additional resources from CDC’s Be Ready for Measles Toolkit can be found here.

Department of Health Resources

DOH has school and child care guidance documents on measles, which you can find at the links below:

• Measles Preparedness for Schools
• Measles Preparedness for Child Cares

In addition, you can find general measles resources on our main measles page at doh.wa.gov/measles. We have a series of public handouts to make it easier for families to understand measles and the importance of vaccination.

Nurses whose primary state of residence (PSOR) is Washington can now apply to upgrade to a multistate license (MSL).

Naloxone (or Narcan) is a medication that reverses an opioid overdose. Families and parents in Washington State can order free naloxone by filling out this form.

HearMeWA is a youth-centered crisis-response program that meets youth safety and well-being needs by linking them to existing support systems. This program is available statewide and provides support to youth 24/7/365. It offers an app, text, chat, website, and phone line, and serves youth up to the age of 25.

T1D Family Support Group services include:

• Emotional support and listening for caregivers of children with T1D
• Information and referrals to state and community resources
• Trained volunteers who closely match your parenting experience
• Social and recreational opportunities, such as camps
• Up-to-date non-medical information and resources on T1D

Get Involved: If you have families who might benefit from this support, please share with them, Washington Type 1 Diabetes Family Support. Subscribe to Washington State Type 1 Diabetes Workgroup

Information and Referral (I&R) provides information about services and assists in connecting people with resources and services.

WA211 provides free and confidential Traumatic Brain Injury (TBI) I&R Services.

📞 Dial 2-1-1 or (877) 211-9274 for support.

📺 Watch WA211 Information & Referral - Help is just a contact away to learn more.

📞 Dial 9-8-8 for the Suicide and Crisis Lifeline for help during a crisis, emotional support, referrals, and resources.

🔗 Link in with Teen Link, a program of Crisis Connections that serves youth in Washington State. For teens by teens, volunteers are trained to listen to your concerns and talk with you about whatever’s on your mind. Dial (866) 833-6546 for Teen Link!

Safe Medication Return lets people appropriately dispose of unwanted household prescription and over-the-counter medication (including pet medication). Secure storage and safe disposal of medication helps reduce overdoses, poisonings, and suicide attempts. Safely disposing of medication also helps protect our environment. Our website provides additional information about Safe Medication Return, including department contacts and other resources. You can find convenient medication drop-off locations and order free medication collection mailers at medtakebackwashington.org or 844-4-TAKE-BACK (TTY 711).

If you would like to reserve training equipment from NEWESD 101, please fill out the reservation form. We have the following items available for use:

• AED Trainer
• Audiometer
• Color Vision Testing
• Glo Germ Kit
• Male and Female Catheterization Training Models
• Midazolam Kit
• Medication Lock Boxes
• Medication Training Kit (includes Naloxone and epi)
• Pediatric Simulator Training Doll
• Tooth Tutor Kit

NEWESD 101 | SNC has two Stop the Bleed training kits you can reserve! To reserve one or both training kits, complete the online reservation form.