Doctors and educators are calling for more nurses in Michigan schools

(WPBN/WGTU) — Gov. Gretchen Whitmer recently signed legislation increasing the state’s education budget: $125 million for student health and safety.

One nonprofit wants schools to use the money to hire more school nurses.

The Michigan School Nurses Association says there are only 700 nurses for every 1.5 million students in Michigan schools.

This is not enough, especially for children with chronic diseases such as asthma and diabetes.

“Having a trained healthcare professional on site means faster interventions, reduced demand on emergency services and unnecessary – and perhaps unjustified – hospital visits,” said MASN president Hendrina Cupery.

“About 20% of children have behavioral health problems, which also increases their risk of missing school,” said Dr. Elliot Attisha. “The school nurse is often the first point of contact for a student experiencing behavioral health issues.”

MASN wants more school nurses to be hired with the newly available funding.

However, some schools must make difficult choices.

Bellaire Public Schools has not had a nurse for a decade, and funds are used to pay a social worker.

“Our numbers are small here, we have just over 200 students – I think 250 – so we don’t have enough population to support a full-time social worker,” said Superintendent Julie Brown. “We are working with Alba on this one.”

“So one of the barriers we have is not just funding for mental health and medical health, but finding people to fill those positions and wanting to split them between the two districts,” Brown said.

On the other hand, the situation in Petoskey is stable for two school nurses, even as nearby North Central Michigan College is ramping up its nursing program to address the shortage.

“One of the benefits of working in a school district is that you work on the same schedule as your children,” said Superintendent Dr. Jeffrey Leslie.

“You have the summer off, you have the same vacations and vacations as your kids,” Dr. Leslie said. “You don’t work nights or weekends, so there are a lot of benefits for working parents.”