Children's Healthcare of Atlanta

School Health Resources

About Us

Eighteen percent of children in the United States have a chronic medical condition. A well-trained school health professional can help these children manage their health and stay in school. Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta works closely with school health personnel throughout the state to provide them with educational materials, training and support.

School Health Consultant

Children’s school health consultants serve as a resource for school health services in Georgia.

The Children’s Regional School Health Coordinator provides the following services:

  • School health updates and webinars on clinical pediatric topics
  • Staff education for school districts
  • Reviews and revisions of the school health manual
  • Serve as prime contact for school nurses to call to discuss programmatic needs and difficult cases

Stay up-to-date on the latest school health news

Learn more about behavioral health in schools

In order for Children’s to release or obtain medical information about a particular student, please complete the medical release form and send to schoolhealth@choa.org along with a brief synopsis of your request. Please remember to email patient information encrypted, or by way of fax, to ensure patient confidentiality.

Download Children's medical release form (en Español)

Flu Resources for Schools

Outbreaks of flu usually occur during the winter months, but it can be contracted year-round. Key points to help prevent the flu:

Educational Tools


Back to School Resources

Check out our back to school tools and resources to help you prepare and welcome students back from summer break.

Flu Resources

These resources can be shared with your students and their families to keep them healthy, while also protecting kids from flu symptoms.

Georgia School Health Resource Manual

Georgia School Health Resource Manual

Purchase the 2016 Georgia School Health Resource Manual

The 2016 Edition is also available in PDF format below. (To find a specific topic within a chapter, select "Control F" on your keyboard. Key in the topic that you need. The find option will take you to the first occurrence of that word within the chapter.) 

PLEASE NOTE: The manual is currently undergoing a revision. The 2019 edition is expected to be released in the first quarter of 2019.

Cover Art
Introduction
Chapter 1: School Health Services and School Nursing Practice
Chapter 2: Injury Management and Emergency Medical Concerns
Chapter 3: Administration of Medications
Chapter 4: Communicable Diseases and Infection Control
Chapter 5: Chronic Health Conditions
Chapter 6: Special Health Procedures in a School Setting
Chapter 7: Mental Health in Schools
Chapter 8: Screening Considerations in the School Setting
Chapter 9: Health Education - The School Nurse’s Role
Chapter 10: Employee Health and Workplace Wellness
Chapter 11: Resources for Families
Chapter 12: Resources
Chapter 13: Forms and Letters
Index

Infectious illness poster

Common infectious illness poster

PLEASE NOTE: The Common Infectious Illness Poster is currently under revision. The new version will be posted in the coming months.

Download and print

If you have questions please contact Gail Smith at 404-785-7202.

Teaching sheets

Use the links below to find information specific to each condition or service. 

Return to School Checklists

Contact us

To request teaching sheets on a specific topic, please contact:

Gail Smith, B.S.N., R.N.
Regional School Nurse Coordinator
Phone: 404-785-7202
Cell: 404-395-8067
Email: gail.smith@choa.org

Plans of care

Created with a patient, parent and doctor, an action plan can be an essential reference for a child’s school, day care center, babysitter, coach, grandparent and anyone else that helps take care of the child.

Educational Videos

Use the links below to view educational videos specific to each condition or service.

Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta is an approved provider of continuing nursing education by the Alabama State Nurses Association, an accredited approver by the American Nurses Credentialing Center’s Commission on Accreditation.

Advanced care

Tracheostomy Care (0.5 CEUs)
This training will provide information for those who care for children with a tracheostomy tube in the school setting.

Advances, Trends, and Challenges for Tube Feeding in a School Environment (0.5 CEUs)
This training contains general guidelines which reflect current best practices for care of the child with a G-tube. You will learn: how to care for the skin around the tube, how to give feedings and medicines using the G-tube, what to do for certain problems with the G-tube, how to take care of the equipment, when to call the child’s clinical provider and more.

Asthma

Asthma Management in Schools (1 CEU)

This training contains general guidelines which reflect current best practices for care of the child with asthma.

Behavioral Health

Let’s Talk About Suicide

Eating Disorders

Worries, Bellyaches, and Headaches…Oh My!

Diabetes

Diabetes Train the Trainer Series  (3 CEUs)
On behalf of the Diabetes Education Team at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta, it is our pleasure to provide this Diabetes Train the Trainer series to you. This video series will review the following topics:

Diabetes Technology in the School Setting (0.5 CEUs)
This training will review the school nurse’s roll in insulin pump management is as it pertains to dosing insulin, treatment of high and low blood sugar and pump site changes. We will also discuss the most popular types of insulin pumps and their functionality as well as continuous glucose monitors and their management in the school setting.

Diabetes Care Tasks at School: What Key Personnel Need to Know
Georgia Safe at School Legislation requires schools to train at least two employees in the care needed for students with diabetes. To fulfill this requirement, the following modules from the American Diabetes Association can be used to train unlicensed school personnel (non-medical staff) to perform diabetes care.

Basic Diabetes Management in the Early Care and Learning Setting
Everyone who takes care of a child with diabetes needs to know the basics of managing it, and this webinar shows them how. The class lasts one hour and covers topics such as the basics of diabetes, including type 1 and type 2 diabetes, signs and symptoms of hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia, and how to treat hyperglycemia and hypoglycemia.

Epilepsy

Epilepsy Care in the School Setting ​(1 CEU)

This training contains general guidelines which reflect current best practices. You will learn: Epilepsy Overview, Seizure Phases and Classifications, Epilepsy Diagnosis and Treatment and Seizure First Aid and more.

Infection prevention

Infection Prevention

This training contains general guidelines which reflect current best practices for preventing infection. You will learn about disease transmission, hand hygiene, environmental cleaning, standard precautions, personal protective equipment and blood borne pathogens.

Common Infectious Illnesses in the Childcare Setting (DECAL Bright from the Start 1.0 clock hours)
This free training would be beneficial to anyone caring for young children in the childcare and other community-based settings.

Project S.A.V.E.

This series provides information on how to recognize a sudden cardiac arrest, identify the need for a First Responder Team, implement an Emergency Action Plan and follow the Chain of Survival. Proper CPR/AED use will be explained and an overview of life threatening and non-life threatening emergencies will be provided.

Coming soon: Non-Life Threatening Emergencies 

All Staff Awareness

Benchmark CPR/AED

Life Threatening Emergencies Part 1

Life Threatening Emergencies Part 2

Cardiac/Medical Emergency Practice Drill

Rehabilitation

Rehab Therapies Series (1 CEU)
This series provides information on current rehabilitation therapies as they relate to voice therapy, teen driver readiness and pediatric vestibular rehab.

Resources and Community Educators

Adolescent medicine

The clinic supports teens by talking about their health with them and their parents or guardians. Because teens may be embarrassed to have an exam or talk about some things in front of their parents, we give all teens a chance to be seen privately.

Learn more

Contact us

Stephanie Addison-Holt, M.D.
Phone: 404-785-9558 ​or ​404-785-9850​.

Aerodigestive Center

The Aerodigestive Center focuses on the care of diseases that involve disorders of the respiratory and digestive systems, including the mouth, throat, lungs and esophagus.

Learn more

Contact Us

Clinical Program Manager
Aerodigestive Center
Children's Healthcare of Atlanta
Office: 404-785-1161
Cell: 404-599-3463
Fax: 404-553-9789

Asthma management education

The Children’s Asthma Management Education Program trains school nurses, school staff and healthcare professionals about asthma management. Topics include how to control asthma triggers and how to help children safely participate in school and physical activities.

Program offerings

  • Onsite presentations – Inform about asthma management at metro Atlanta schools for school nurses, school staff and after-school programs
  • Asthma Care and Education (ACE) Program – Trains school nurses, school staff and healthcare professionals about asthma management (offered twice a year)
  • Asthma—What You Need to Know flipchart – A teaching tool for educating children, parents and staff about asthma management
  • Asthma education resources – Materials distributed to school professionals across the state
  • Asthma equipment – Equipment, such as nebulizers and spacers are provided to school nurses to help support asthma care and management in students with special medical and financial needs (available as funds allow)

Learn more about Asthma

Contact us

Ginger Tuminello
Program Coordinator
Phone: 404-785-7240
Email: virginia.tuminello@choa.org

Case management

Case Managers collaborate with school nurses to facilitate school re-entry following hospitalization.

Learn more about our Case Manager Services

Contact us

Brenda Merrion
Business Operations Coordinator
Egleston Case Management Department
Office: 404-785-6528
Email: brenda.merrion@choa.org

Sharon Reid
Business Operations Coordinator
Scottish Rite Case Management Department
Office: 404-785-2356
Email: sharon.reid@choa.org

Community outreach

Our community development officers collaborate with community leaders and support Children’s services and mission with local outreach activities.

Learn more

Contact us

Beth Buursema
Director, Foundation and External Affairs
Cell: 678-237-3498 
Office: 404-785-7691 
Email: elizabeth.buursema@choa.org

Concussion

Children's offers comprehensive care and follow up, as well as information and resources, including co-branded consumer handouts for students and parents.

Learn more

For information, call 404-785-KIDS (5437) and ask for the concussion nurse.

Diabetes community education

Provides community diabetes education in the metro Atlanta area.

Learn more

Epilepsy

The New Onset Seizure Clinic is for children who have experienced one or more seizures. Our team includes neurologists, a nurse practitioner, a social worker, nurses, and administrative personnel. We offer comprehensive care and follow up. We provide information and resources for families, schools, and community programs.

Learn more about our New Onset Seizure Clinic

Contact Us

Heather Bernard
Comprehensive Epilepsy Clinic Social Worker
Office: 404-785-2284
Email: heather.bernard@choa.org

Lisa Raman
Comprehensive Epilepsy Clinic Nurse Case Manager
Phone: 404-785-2227
Email: lisa.raman@choa.org

Susan McCallum
Clinical Program Manager
Office: 404-785-3720
Email: susan.mccallum@choa.org

Marcus Autism Center

Marcus Autism Center is a not-for-profit organization and subsidiary of Children's Healthcare of Atlanta that treats more than 5,500 children with autism and related disorders a year.

We facilitate school-wide training opportunities on topics such as Fostering Social Emotional Engagement in the Classroom and Creating Universal Access for All Students.

Our professional development for related service providers focuses on Assessing Social Emotional Development in Students with Autism and Related Social Learning Differences.

We also provide system-wide training that centers around building professional learning communities and effective coaching practices to foster social engagement

Learn more

Contact us

Emily Rubin, M.S., CCC-SLP
Director, Educational Outreach Program
Marcus Autism Center
Email: emily.rubin@choa.org

Medical records and forms

To obtain needed information about a student that has been hospitalized or is currently hospitalized in one of our hospitals, a release of information (ROI) consent form is required. You will need to obtain a parent’s signature and either fax it to 404-785-7478 or email Gail Smith. When sending a fax, please accompany with an email notification. Please note: to ensure HIPAA compliance, emails sent and received with identifying information must be sent encrypted.

Download standard consent (ROI)

Project S.A.V.E.

Project S.A.V.E. was created to educate school systems and doctors about pediatric sudden cardiac arrest. We hope to raise awareness about the frequency of sudden cardiac arrest, possible early warning signs and the need for a timely response.

Implement S.A.V.E. in your school
Georgia schools interested in implementing the S.A.V.E. program can receive onsite or phone consultation and written materials to assist with the process, including:

  • Information about preparticipation sports physicals
  • Awareness and CPR training
  • Funding options
  • Selection of an automated external defibrillator (AED)
  • Policy/procedure guidelines
  • Practice drill plans

Georgia schools can also apply for training grants to assist with the training portion of program implementation.

Become a HeartSafe School
HeartSafe schools contribute to important statewide and national research on prevention of sudden cardiac death by sending a confidential incident report to Project S.A.V.E. staff whenever an AED is used. Project S.A.V.E will replace, or reimburse the replacement of, electrode pads for the AED after use in an emergency.

Georgia schools that complete the implementation checklist, indicating a quality AED program, receive:

  • Framed certificates of recognition as a Project S.A.V.E. HeartSafe school
  • A sample public service announcement to help schools notify local media and increase public awareness of the school's efforts
  • Regular e-newsletters about AED funding and laws, research, recalls and training
  • A prevention manual and DVD for staff training

All consultation and recognition is free, thanks to the generous support of the Children's Miracle Network and Sibley Heart Center Cardiology.

Read our HeartSafe Schools flier for more information

Learn more about Project S.A.V.E.

Contact us

Richard Lamphier, R.N.
Clinical Program Manager of Project S.A.V.E.
Phone: 404-785-7201
Email: richard.lamphier@choa.org

School program

Our hospital teachers can help you work with your child's school so that your child does not fall behind while admitted to one of our hospitals.

Assistance includes: 

  • Requesting assignments during hospital stays
  • Providing instruction/assistance with assignments
  • Facilitating completion of necessary school forms (504/IEP recommendation and hospital homebound referrals)

Ongoing support to discharged patients:

  • Updating medical information as it pertains to school needs/services
  • Facilitating completion of school paperwork for patients with chronic diagnoses
  • Providing support by phone for 504/IEP meetings (as available)

Learn more

Contact us

Ginger H. Armstrong
School Program Coordinator
Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta
Office: 404-785-1505
Fax: 404-785-1318
Email: ginger.armstrong@choa.org

Scoliosis screening

Our Scoliosis Screening Program partners with public health and school health professionals to detect early signs of scoliosis. You can refer students to one of our registered nurse-facilitated scoliosis tertiary clinics for an X-ray evaluation. We’ll send the results and treatment recommendations to the family and their primary care physician.

To refer a patient to the tertiary clinic, have parents call 404-785-7553.

Learn more

Scoliosis Screening Instruction Manual

We offer a scoliosis screening instruction manual for school nurses and public health nurses. Download the individual resources below, or download the full scoliosis screening manual.

Scoliosis Screening Instruction Manual

Additional scoliosis screening resources 

Scoliosis Screening Conferences

We offer annual conferences on scoliosis for healthcare professionals. It focuses on screening techniques, research and treatment methods.

Learn more about our scoliosis screening conferences

Sports medicine

Our surgeons, doctors, physical therapists and certified athletic trainers are dedicated to helping young athletes recover from sports injuries.

The Sports Medicine Program at Children's provides:

  • Physician outreach visits for concussions, sports injuries, injury prevention and sports physicals
  • Coach and Parent Seminars at youth sports events on sports injuries, concussion, running program, injury prevention
  • Contracted athletic trainers at 41 high school, 32 club sports teams and 100+ sporting events

Learn more

For more information, call 404-785-KIDS (5437)

Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children

The Stephanie V. Blank Center for Safe and Healthy Children at Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta provides trainings to school nurses, school staff and healthcare professionals about child abuse. Topics include child sexual and physical abuse, sexual exploitation of children, and social media safety.

Program offerings:

  • Onsite presentations: We provide live presentations by request on topics such as mandated reporting, social media safety, sexual abuse prevention, and other related topics.
  • Stewards of Children:  Stewards of Children demonstrates how to prevent, recognize and react responsibly to child sexual abuse and teaches five proactive steps to protecting children. Stewards of Children is a national child sexual abuse prevention training program for all adults who want to make a difference in their community.
  • Monthly webinar series: Guest speakers and experts in the field speak on child abuse related topics in an interactive, online environment and allows the audience to conveniently participate from any location. All webinars are free of charge and offer continuing education credits.

Learn more about our training opportunities

Contact us

Email: cpctraining@choa.org
Phone: 404-785-5004

Strong4Life School Nurse training

Motivating kids to embrace healthy habits isn’t always easy, but school health professionals have a unique opportunity to reach thousands of students and families across Georgia. Strong4Life empowers nurses with information, techniques and counseling skills that will help inspire and support kids to make smart food choices in the lunch line and to be more active.

Learn more about Strong4Life School Nurse Training

Contact us

Jenny Puestow
Manager, Schools and Community Programs
Phone: 404-785-7873
Email: jennifer.puestow@choa.org

Our Partners

The Children's Regional School Nurse Coordinator collaborates with organizations throughout the state of Georgia to provide comprehensive resources and training to school nurses​.