BLS Nurse Blog
MORE MONDAYS LEFT!!!!!!
ACUITY NUMBERS DUE 6/1/25
From Erica
It’s time to collect the Medically Fragile data for ODE. Which means it’s also the end of the school year!
We have new staff this year, so here is a more detailed breakdown:
Basically, you are looking at your caseload in each school and submitting the number of students that fall in each category below.
There are 3 distinctions of students you might have in your school (apart from the general population):
-Medically complex students
-Medically fragile students
-Nursing dependent students
The first attachment is the Medically Fragile Data Collection Definition Guidance (ODE). This will provide definitions and give examples of common students’ health conditions and what category they might fall into.
IMPORTANT NOTE: ODE has very specific definitions of these 3 categories. This may be different verbiage from how our district classifies students. Additionally, the examples in the document are just guidelines and you should use other health conditions, comorbidities, social determinants of health, self-care abilities and more to make your decision.
The ODE Student Acuity Tool (updated 3/2025) is an important tool to help determine acuity. To fully understand this tool, please review the training video. Failure to do so may result in inaccurate data collection.
Collecting this data creates a more accurate picture of the intensity of nursing care required by a student, which helps establish nursing rations. Please take some time to complete this. I believe we have more Medically Fragile students than we’ve been counting in years past.
Pro tips:
Print out an HLT 401 for all your schools and categorize your students that way. Also try filtering by Health Plan on File (hint hint…medically complex).
Don’t forget the students that may have mental health issues that have not been entered in Synergy.
And frequent health room flyers.
When you’ve collected your numbers, please enter them into this
Acuity Scores form
OSNA
From Corinna Brower: This survey (your responses!) will help tell the story of Oregon school nursing. Your answers will be kept confidential; only aggregated data will ever be reported.
SAFETY
DCHS Substance Abuse Overdose Response Briefing
STAFF PORTAL – STUDENT SERVICES
From Rachel Mavis ~
Student Services has been added to the top navigation bar of the Staff Portal for easier access. It remains available under Quick Links as well, since many staff are used to finding it there.
SUMMER NUTRITION PROGRAM FOR KIDS
This week, Oregon launches the return of its Summer EBT for children program, which gives families money to buy healthy food during the summer months when free and reduced-price school meals are not available.
Last summer was the first year Oregon offered this benefit, and about 362,000 school-aged children participated, with families receiving a total of $43 million to spend at grocery stores, farmers markets, and other places that accept EBT. Summer EBT is administered by Oregon Department of Human Services (ODHS) in partnership with Oregon Department of Education (ODE).
Things to know about Oregon’s Summer EBT for children program:
Applications are due Sept. 3. (Eligible families will receive the full summer benefit as long as they apply by Sept. 3.)
Families will get a one-time payment of $120 per eligible child on an Oregon EBT card.
Many children are considered “automatically eligible” for Summer EBT and do not need to apply. This can include those whose families participate in SNAP, TANF or the Oregon Health Plan (OHP/Medicaid) and meet income rules, as well as children who qualify for free or reduced-price school meals. To see a full list of eligibility requirements, click here.
Families that got Summer EBT benefits in 2024 through an approved application do not need to apply again. They will automatically receive the money on their EBT card May 22.
For anyone who qualifies automatically, Summer EBT funds will be deposited on existing EBT cards May 22. Those who do not already have an EBT card will get one by mail.
At least 336,000 children will be automatically eligible and enrolled in Summer EBT this summer.
Other potentially eligible families will need to apply.
To learn more about eligibility, and how and whether you should apply for Summer EBT food benefits for children, check out ODHS’s website for frequently asked questions, call 833-673-7328, Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 5 p.m., or email [email protected].
NOTE: the Summer EBT is different from ODE’s “Summer Meals” program, which is for all children regardless of income and requires no application process, and families can participate in both.
TRAININGS
Before you leave for summer break…
Don’t forget to email your school administrators about scheduling staff training time before the start of the school year. Get it on their schedule before leaving for the summer!!
CALENDAR
| DATE | TIME | EVENT | INFO |
| 5/28 | 215-3 | Medicaid Billing | Virtual (MANDATORY for all regular nursing staff only) |
| 6/1 | ACUITY INFORMATION DUE TO ERICA |
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