Let’s face it – it’s very difficult to concentrate on what you’re doing when you are experiencing a headache, sour stomach or sore throat.
When students experience these and other health-related issues, focusing on schoolwork becomes quite a challenge, especially if the problem gets worse.
Fortunately, for Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker Secondary School students, they have an on-campus resource to help them feel better quickly – the Laker Wellness Clinic.
The clinic is in its second year and it’s provided in partnership with Scheurer Hospital. Services are provided by Brooke McNabb, registered nurse, and Brenda Kretzschmer, nurse practitioner. Some of the daily services provided at the clinic include assessment of symptoms, treatment/prevention of acute illness symptoms, assistance with management of chronic conditions (such as asthma and diabetes), administration of daily medications as prescribed by a physician, sports physicals, etc. Flu shots are provided at the clinic in the fall/early winter, as well. Once a month, the clinic provides free fruit snacks to students as a way to promote healthy eating, and this has become very popular with students who need an extra nutritional boost between classes.
The need for this clinic is apparent in many ways, including the number of student visits in the 2013-14 school year – more than 3,600. The clinic is open from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.
“We’re busier than we thought we would be,” Kretzschmer said.
Clinic staff keep in contact with parents and with students’ primary care physicians about the services provided to student patients.
“It’s a collaborative effort – we’re taking a team approach (to students’ health needs),” Kretzschmer said.
The clinic also provides a wealth of helpful information for students about various health topics – both physical and mental. Flyers and bulletin boards fill the waiting room and feature Information on such topics as making healthy eating choices, managing diabetes, how to prevent/handle bullying situations, the dangers of smoking and other risky behavior, etc.
Near the end of the 2013-14 school year, Kretzschmer and McNabb, along with other Scheurer
Hospital staff, visited Laurie Britt’s health class to talk about the “5-2-1-0 Every Day” program. This promotes healthy lifestyle choices by suggesting people have five or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables, two hours or less of recreational screen time, one hour or more of physical activity and zero sugary beverages (drink water or skim/low-fat milk instead).
This year, McNabb and Kretzschmer are continuing to provide the helpful services they provided last year and they plan to visit Britt’s health class again. The clinic received a donation from the Laker Class of 1969, and with this donation, the clinic is getting a heart model, a model of a healthy lung and a model of a smoker’s lung. Having such visuals is a key method of getting health-related messages across to students, McNabb and Kretzschmer noted.
For junior high students during their seminar time (approximately a half hour in the morning) for three days a week, Abby Knoblock , Scheurer Hospital community health education specialist, teaches a health/fitness class. This is another way for students to learn about the importance of maintaining good health and preventing future health issues by making smart decisions now.
In addition, Scheurer Hospital is hosting a junior high/high school health fair Jan. 29 at the high school gymnasium. The all-day event will offer a variety of screenings (such as for diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure) and many activities to promote healthy living.
McNabb and Kretzschmer are pleased that they and their fellow Scheurer Hospital staff members are able to provide these needed health-related services on the Laker campus. They said they’ve heard many positive comments from parents and Laker staff. Before the clinic debuted last year, school staff had to deal with students’ health issues – something they weren’t necessarily prepared to do.
“Now, we can take care of those issues,” Kretzschmer said.
She and McNabb enjoy interacting with students.
“It’s been fun getting to know the students and parents,” McNabb said. “We’re helping them feel better so they can stay in school.”
“We’re building relationships with the students – we want them to feel comfortable coming into the clinic,” Kretzschmer said.
Scheurer Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Dwight Gascho is grateful for the partnership between the hospital and school that’s made the clinic possible. The seed for the idea was planted when Laker administrators spoke with him about students with health-related needs that were not being met for various reasons, and how that was affecting their school performance.
"There were some compelling stories, and we (at Scheurer Hospital) talked about how we could meet those needs,” Gascho said.
Realizing that students aren’t always able to easily access medical care when they need to, especially during the school day, Scheurer Hospital decided an on-site clinic would be a great way to address this issue. Gascho said the hospital and school didn’t want a "Band-aid solution” – they wanted to ensure the clinic had proper set up, staff and services available.
“The hospital board has been impressed by the success of the clinic,” Gascho said. “It's been terrific.”
He said the clinic has shown that having such a resource for students "truly adds value to an educational program."
To help provide funding for the Laker Wellness Clinic, the Scheurer Hospital Auxiliary is hosting a Healthercise fundraiser from 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 8 at the Laker High School gymnasium. See the accompanying article for more information.
Healthercise to support Laker Wellness Clinic
Get ready, get set, Healthercise!
What in the world is Healthercise? An upcoming event at Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker High School will show you.
The event is being planned by the Scheurer Hospital Auxiliary to support the Laker Wellness Clinic, a resource provided on the Laker campus in partnership with Scheurer Hospital. During the event, which is for those ages 16 and older, fitness instructor Jeanne Putman will lead a variety of 15-minute exercise classes, giving participants a taste of each type of activity.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. At 9 a.m., the event will begin with a morning stretch. Following the stretch will be “Sit and Get Fit!” – a series of chair exercises. A circuit workout that provides strength training will follow.
After that, participants can take part in low impact aerobics, beginning kickboxing and yoga.
Those at the event do not have to participate in every exercise activity – they can choose to sit one out if they choose.
Refreshments will be served during the event and participants can win door prizes.
Paulette Mancuso, of the Scheurer Hospital Auxiliary, said she would like Healthercise to be an annual fundraiser, so she’s hoping the gym will be filled with people ready to get moving and shaking. She said the unique fundraiser will be fun and will support a much-needed resource that helps so many young people.
The Healthercise entry fee is $20 a person. The first 100 people to register will receive a free T-shirt. Registration forms are available on the Laker school website: www.lakerschools.org.
When students experience these and other health-related issues, focusing on schoolwork becomes quite a challenge, especially if the problem gets worse.
Fortunately, for Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker Secondary School students, they have an on-campus resource to help them feel better quickly – the Laker Wellness Clinic.
The clinic is in its second year and it’s provided in partnership with Scheurer Hospital. Services are provided by Brooke McNabb, registered nurse, and Brenda Kretzschmer, nurse practitioner. Some of the daily services provided at the clinic include assessment of symptoms, treatment/prevention of acute illness symptoms, assistance with management of chronic conditions (such as asthma and diabetes), administration of daily medications as prescribed by a physician, sports physicals, etc. Flu shots are provided at the clinic in the fall/early winter, as well. Once a month, the clinic provides free fruit snacks to students as a way to promote healthy eating, and this has become very popular with students who need an extra nutritional boost between classes.
The need for this clinic is apparent in many ways, including the number of student visits in the 2013-14 school year – more than 3,600. The clinic is open from 8 a.m. to noon Monday through Friday.
“We’re busier than we thought we would be,” Kretzschmer said.
Clinic staff keep in contact with parents and with students’ primary care physicians about the services provided to student patients.
“It’s a collaborative effort – we’re taking a team approach (to students’ health needs),” Kretzschmer said.
The clinic also provides a wealth of helpful information for students about various health topics – both physical and mental. Flyers and bulletin boards fill the waiting room and feature Information on such topics as making healthy eating choices, managing diabetes, how to prevent/handle bullying situations, the dangers of smoking and other risky behavior, etc.
Near the end of the 2013-14 school year, Kretzschmer and McNabb, along with other Scheurer
Hospital staff, visited Laurie Britt’s health class to talk about the “5-2-1-0 Every Day” program. This promotes healthy lifestyle choices by suggesting people have five or more servings a day of fruits and vegetables, two hours or less of recreational screen time, one hour or more of physical activity and zero sugary beverages (drink water or skim/low-fat milk instead).
This year, McNabb and Kretzschmer are continuing to provide the helpful services they provided last year and they plan to visit Britt’s health class again. The clinic received a donation from the Laker Class of 1969, and with this donation, the clinic is getting a heart model, a model of a healthy lung and a model of a smoker’s lung. Having such visuals is a key method of getting health-related messages across to students, McNabb and Kretzschmer noted.
For junior high students during their seminar time (approximately a half hour in the morning) for three days a week, Abby Knoblock , Scheurer Hospital community health education specialist, teaches a health/fitness class. This is another way for students to learn about the importance of maintaining good health and preventing future health issues by making smart decisions now.
In addition, Scheurer Hospital is hosting a junior high/high school health fair Jan. 29 at the high school gymnasium. The all-day event will offer a variety of screenings (such as for diabetes, cholesterol and blood pressure) and many activities to promote healthy living.
McNabb and Kretzschmer are pleased that they and their fellow Scheurer Hospital staff members are able to provide these needed health-related services on the Laker campus. They said they’ve heard many positive comments from parents and Laker staff. Before the clinic debuted last year, school staff had to deal with students’ health issues – something they weren’t necessarily prepared to do.
“Now, we can take care of those issues,” Kretzschmer said.
She and McNabb enjoy interacting with students.
“It’s been fun getting to know the students and parents,” McNabb said. “We’re helping them feel better so they can stay in school.”
“We’re building relationships with the students – we want them to feel comfortable coming into the clinic,” Kretzschmer said.
Scheurer Hospital President and Chief Executive Officer Dwight Gascho is grateful for the partnership between the hospital and school that’s made the clinic possible. The seed for the idea was planted when Laker administrators spoke with him about students with health-related needs that were not being met for various reasons, and how that was affecting their school performance.
"There were some compelling stories, and we (at Scheurer Hospital) talked about how we could meet those needs,” Gascho said.
Realizing that students aren’t always able to easily access medical care when they need to, especially during the school day, Scheurer Hospital decided an on-site clinic would be a great way to address this issue. Gascho said the hospital and school didn’t want a "Band-aid solution” – they wanted to ensure the clinic had proper set up, staff and services available.
“The hospital board has been impressed by the success of the clinic,” Gascho said. “It's been terrific.”
He said the clinic has shown that having such a resource for students "truly adds value to an educational program."
To help provide funding for the Laker Wellness Clinic, the Scheurer Hospital Auxiliary is hosting a Healthercise fundraiser from 9 to 11 a.m. Nov. 8 at the Laker High School gymnasium. See the accompanying article for more information.
Healthercise to support Laker Wellness Clinic
Get ready, get set, Healthercise!
What in the world is Healthercise? An upcoming event at Elkton-Pigeon-Bay Port Laker High School will show you.
The event is being planned by the Scheurer Hospital Auxiliary to support the Laker Wellness Clinic, a resource provided on the Laker campus in partnership with Scheurer Hospital. During the event, which is for those ages 16 and older, fitness instructor Jeanne Putman will lead a variety of 15-minute exercise classes, giving participants a taste of each type of activity.
Registration begins at 8:30 a.m. At 9 a.m., the event will begin with a morning stretch. Following the stretch will be “Sit and Get Fit!” – a series of chair exercises. A circuit workout that provides strength training will follow.
After that, participants can take part in low impact aerobics, beginning kickboxing and yoga.
Those at the event do not have to participate in every exercise activity – they can choose to sit one out if they choose.
Refreshments will be served during the event and participants can win door prizes.
Paulette Mancuso, of the Scheurer Hospital Auxiliary, said she would like Healthercise to be an annual fundraiser, so she’s hoping the gym will be filled with people ready to get moving and shaking. She said the unique fundraiser will be fun and will support a much-needed resource that helps so many young people.
The Healthercise entry fee is $20 a person. The first 100 people to register will receive a free T-shirt. Registration forms are available on the Laker school website: www.lakerschools.org.