MDPH School Health Unit Update
April 4, 2020
Greetings From the School Health Unit
Greetings from the School Health Unit!
In this email update, I’d like to share a bit about we have been doing, and then highlight some things that you have all been doing, during the COVID-19 pandemic.
School Health Unit staff, like many of you, meet weekly as a unit and also attend other meetings happening within DPH- all virtually of course. Two major tasks at this time include converting our trainings to online offerings in collaboration with BU SHIELD, as well as working on the challenges presented in completing health screenings that are mandated by statute or regulation. We continue to communicate on a daily basis with the Regional School Nurse Consultants and are available by email to all of you.
Two issues that have come up over and over are asks for return to school guidance as well as guidance as to working outside of the school nurse role during this crisis. On the first I can say that we are still on our way up the mountain, and still learning about the disease itself. Please be assured that we are thinking about return to school just like you are, and we commit to working collaboratively with our DPH partners to provide appropriate guidance for schools when the time comes. As far as working outside of the school nurse role, we are so grateful that so many of you are looking for other ways to help during this pandemic. However, the Department of Public Health cannot give approval for you to work outside of your usual role; that is something that needs to be addressed on the local level with your school and municipal leadership. We also encourage you to reach out to your colleagues, who are all in different places, to get some ideas of what can be done.
On that note, I wanted to provide some shout-outs for school nurses who are all doing different things to help in their communities while recognizing ALL ARE IMPORTANT! If you and your team have work that you’d like to share, please email me and I will feature in a future message or Regional Consultant newsletter.
I know there is so much unknown, and that is hard. But I firmly believe that WE CAN DO HARD THINGS. We can do hard things together. Thank you, from the bottom of my heart, for everything you are doing, and have always done, for the children and families of our Commonwealth. I am so proud to be a part of school nursing in Massachusetts.
Karen
Karen Robitaille, MBA, MSN, RN, NCSN
<she, her, hers>
Director of School Health Services
Division of Child/Adolescent Health and Reproductive Health
Massachusetts Department of Public Health
250 Washington St. 5th floor, Boston, MA 02108
karen.robitaille2@state.ma.us
617-624-5427
Statewide Regional Consultant Contact Information:
Boston
Mary Jane O'Brien, PhD, RN, CPNP, NCSN
mobrien@bostonpublicschools.org
(617) 635-6788
Metro West
Jill Connolly, MEd, BSN, RN, NCSN
jill.connolly@braintreeschools.org
(781) 848-4000 x7841
Central
Janet Guertin-Moruzzi BSN, RN, NCSN
(781) 392-7726
Northeast
Shanyn A. Toulouse, MEd, BSN, RN NCSN
shanyn.toulouse@haverhill-ps.org
(978) 420-1919
Southeast
Ann M. Linehan, DNP, MSN, RN
(508) 580-7363
West
Veronica Webb Barrett, MSN, MA Ed Psych, RN, HNB-BC
webbv@springfieldpublicschools.com
(413) 896-8100
MDPH School Health Unit Contact Information
Karen Robitaille, MBA, MSN, RN, NCSN
Director of School Health
Phone: (617) 624-5427
Caitlin Pettengill, DNP, RN
Assistant Director of School Health
Phone: (617) 624-6058
Email: caitlin.pettengill@state.ma.us
Juliet Sithole-Berk, MPA, MSCED
Unit Coordinator
Phone: (617) 624-5447
Email: Juliet.Berk1@State.ma.us
Robert Leibowitz, Ph.D.
Epidemiologist
Email: robert.leibowitz@state.ma.us
Phone: (617) 624-5474
Fax: (617) 624-6062
Evelyn Levenson (interim)
Medication Program Coordinator
Phone: 617) 624-6013
Fax: (617) 624-6062
Email: evelyn.levenson@state.ma.us
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