Marblehead schools receive $505G health grant

MARBLEHEAD – The School Department has received a $505,000 Essential School Health Services Grant which will not only improve school nursing services in town, but also requires Marblehead to mentor school nursing and health programs in Swampscott and Salem as well.The Massachusetts Department of Public Health Bureau of Community Health Access and Promotion awards the grants, with the goal of providing all school-age children access to a school health service program.Lead Nurse Paula Dobrow told the School Committee Thursday that the grant is a five-year contract, with options for three two-year renewals. There were 141 applicants for the grants and 83 were awarded.As of Thursday the grants had not been cut from the state budget.Dobrow noted that one factor the state stressed in awarding the grants was the quality of administrative support for the nursing program, and she thanked the committee for providing that.In a one-page report, she stated that Marblehead schools have more than 90 students and staff members with life threatening allergies, more than 10 with Type 1 Diabetes, more than 200 with asthma and a number of others who have heart conditions, cancer, cerebral palsy and other conditions requiring special care by a school nurse.”School children are often the ‘canaries’ in the community,” she said, referring to the 19th and 20th century practice of carrying canaries into coalmines as an early warning of carbon monoxide and other gases.”School nurses are alert to clusters of illnesses and symptoms. Public Health agencies rely on rapid reporting from the nurses.”Smart food choice is one of the issues that concern Dobrow. She has successfully advocated for healthy food choices in the school lunches and vending machines and she described her latest policy, foodless birthday celebrations, as a success.”Everyone’s happy, it’s been wonderful,” she said. “We have so many students with food allergies and endocrine issues. It used to be that every time I’d turn around another plate of cupcakes would go by. This policy cuts down on trash and rodent problems. It’s a win-win.”